Fishermen in Quynh Phuong firmly stick to the sea
For generations, the sea has provided people with an abundance of fish, squid, shrimp... no matter what the circumstances, fishermen remain loyal to the sea. The words of Mr. Ho Ngoc Trung, Secretary of the Party Committee of Quynh Phuong Commune (Quynh Luu) seem to say it all about the lives of fishermen here.
Coming to Quynh Phuong, right from Lach Con estuary when the sun sets, it is bustling with the sight of boats docking with heavy loads of fish and shrimp. Traders on the shore waiting for their catch and fishermen returning from long trips to the sea are bustling with laughter and chatter. "Thanks to the innovation in offshore fishing gear, our boat of 7 brothers has increased its output compared to previous times. With nearly 10 tons of mackerel, scad, swordfish... after each trip to the sea for nearly ten days, after deducting expenses, each person earns 4-5 million VND. After this trip, we will invest in more gill nets, rough gill nets, double-bag nets, double-sweep nets to increase the output" - said Mr. Hoang Duc Long, owner of NA 93245 boat.
Fishermen in Quynh Phuong repair and upgrade boats and prepare
for long voyages.
Mr. Ho Ngoc Trung said: In order to exploit the potential of seafood fishing at sea, the locality has implemented many effective initial measures. That is organizing production on fishing grounds, creating conditions for fishermen to borrow capital to proactively invest in equipment, innovate seafood preservation technology on large-capacity vessels to increase export value. Training captains, chief engineers and organizing training courses combined with propaganda for fishermen about the scope of the sea and territorial waters for exploitation have been carried out right from the first days of the fishing season. A number of support policies for building new large-capacity boats are being paid attention to by the government, creating conditions for fishermen to participate in offshore fishing and exploitation. Thanks to the right direction, in recent times, boats participating in offshore fishing have brought in thousands of tons of seafood with high economic value. Therefore, the annual exploitation output of Quynh Phuong is always the top in the whole district. Currently, the whole commune has over 600 vessels with a total capacity of nearly 40,000 horsepower, of which about 2/3 of the vessels ensure offshore fishing, creating jobs for nearly 4,000 local workers. In the first 6 months of the year alone, Quynh Phuong fishermen achieved a seafood output of over 4,000 tons, with a revenue value of nearly 100 billion VND. Workers' income is from 35 to 40 million VND/person/year, with each vessel earning an average net profit of nearly 500 million VND.
The work of ensuring communication between fishermen participating in fishing at sea is being monitored and directed promptly by all levels. Currently, the boats in Quynh Phuong alone have been equipped with 7 IComs and over 30 on-duty machines to help fishermen easily communicate with the mainland and handle all situations to firmly stick to the sea. Over the years, Quynh Phuong has always been known as a leading locality in innovating fishing gear, boldly investing in highly effective fishing equipment at sea. Sticking to the sea and boldly investing in large boats for fishing, the lives of fishermen here are gradually stabilizing, the total GDP value of the whole commune has increased by 15 - 16% per year.
More than ever, fishermen who have devoted their lives to their profession always stick to the sea, stick to their boats, firmly hold the steering wheel and the net in their hands as they go out to sea. The sea has sheltered and nurtured many generations, so fishermen consider the sea as their close friend that they cannot leave.
Ngoc Thai
