Joy on the 67 ships in Nghe An

Modernization of fishing equipment

After a series of days of favorable weather for fishermen at sea, atLach Quen fishing port(Quynh Luu), we met some owners of ship 67 (built according to Decree No. 67/2014/ND-CP on fisheries development policy).

As the owner of a fishing boat with license plate NA 95669 TS and engine capacity of 1,140 horsepower, old fisherman Tran Van Thanh in Phu Lien hamlet, Quynh Long commune said that from the loan capital under Decree 67/CP, his wooden fishing boat is the largest in Quynh Long commune, with a total cost of over 9 billion VND.

Fisherman Nguyen Van Minh - owner of boat 67 in Quynh Long commune, Quynh Luu district shares his successful experience in catching seafood with reporters. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mastering modern fishing equipment and systems, along with decades of experience in the maritime profession, old fisherman Tran Van Thanh always operates his boat effectively. As of March 2023, he not only paid interest on time, but also paid off the principal of nearly 3.4 billion VND/total bank loan of 6.7 billion VND.

“Thanks to the success I have had on each voyage, I have not only changed my family’s life, but also created jobs for 15 crew members with stable income, contributing to increasing the local seafood catch,” said Mr. Tran Van Thanh.

Similarly, the fishing boat of fisherman Nguyen Van Minh in Dai Bac hamlet, Quynh Long commune is aShip 67Effective offshore exploration. According to Mr. Minh, the key to success is to be proficient in the profession, persistently stay at sea for long periods, and skillfully use equipment to handle all situations at sea.

Continuously invest in modern machinery and equipment to serve offshore fishing; lighting systems, fishing nets and other support systems must also be invested synchronously. Finally, to exploit valuable seafood, ship owners must move fishing grounds appropriately according to the season, not fishing in a fixed sea area.

Nghe An fishermen's boat 67 contributes to increasing seafood output for the locality. Photo: Xuan Hoang

From the economic efficiency brought by "going to sea" on ship 67, up to now, Mr. Nguyen Van Minh has paid back more than 4 billion VND in bank loans, only owing nearly 2 billion VND.

Thanks to going out to distant fishing grounds, Mr. Minh's boat 67 as well as many other boats of fishermen in Quynh Luu district, Hoang Mai town have caught many types of fish.seafoodhas high export value. On average, each sea trip lasts from 8 to 12 days, with an average income of about 250 to 400 million VND.

There are many captains with "passed down" experience and modern fish-finding equipment who have caught many fish, earning approximately 1 billion VND/trip; after deducting expenses, each trip earns hundreds of millions of VND...

Fisherman Phan Van Hai - one of the owners of the 67 ships operating effectively in Quynh Lap commune (Hoang Mai town) shared his experience: "Big ships and big engines to go out to sea are necessary, but it is necessary to modernize fishing support equipment such as increasing the capacity of lights, fish detectors, seafood preservation technology... Along with that, the perseverance and experience of each crew member will be successful after each trip at sea".

Ship 67 operates effectively, not only increasing output but also increasing the value of seafood. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Vu Ngoc Chat - Chairman of the Quynh Long Commune Fisheries Association said that, having been involved in the sea fishing profession for generations, fishermen have a lot of experience in fishing from small capacity ships, rudimentary fishing gear, to owning large ships, large engines, equipped with modern fishing gear and other supporting equipment. Currently, in the commune, there are more than 150 fishing boats with a capacity of over 90 CV, of which 14 are 67 ships. Of those ships, nearly half of them are "profitable" and belong to experienced ship owners who have invested in increasingly modern equipment. The effective operation of 67 ships has greatly impacted the development of coastal services.

Increase seafood production and quality

Implementing Decree No. 67/2014/ND-CP, in the areaNghe AnThere are 104 new fishing boats built under the State's loan support policy. Information from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development shows that, besides some 67 boats facing difficulties, there are still 31 boats operating effectively, paying principal and interest to the bank as committed, contributing a part of valuable seafood output to Nghe An.

It can be said that the effective operation of the 67 ships has contributed to the strong and quite synchronous development of Nghe An's fisheries industry: Fisheries infrastructure has been gradually invested in synchronously and modernly; the structure of the fishing fleet has shifted towards ships with large capacity, modern equipment, advanced fishing technology and the ability to exploit offshore is increasing rapidly, while small ships exploiting inshore are gradually decreasing.

Before leaving the fishing port to go out to sea to catch seafood, each large ship with an engine of over 1,000 CV must take on a lot of fuel and other supplies to serve long fishing days. Photo: Xuan Hoang

The level of economic management, management and operation of large capacity ships with modern equipment is improved; production relations in exploitation are innovated and developed in accordance with the productive forces, forming and developing many cooperative groups, teams and exploitation teams, to support each other in the process of exploiting and transporting materials and products, improving exploitation efficiency.

Thanks to the increase in the number of offshore fishing vessels and the expansion of fishing grounds, seafood output has increased rapidly over the years. In 2022, marine output reached over 203,500 tons, equal to 207.75% compared to 2014 (98,098 tons). The structure of exploited products has changed towards rapidly increasing species with high quality and economic value, contributing to improving the income and life of fishermen.

The fishermen's perseverance in sticking to the sea, experience in fishing and investment in modernizing the support system on the 67 ships have created a large-capacity fleet that goes offshore to stick to the sea, in addition to exploiting aquatic and seafood products to develop the economy, it also affirms the sacred sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.