Nghe An fishermen enter the season of catching hairtail fish for export.

(Baonghean.vn) - Although the fishing season for needlefish has only been in full swing for more than a month, fishermen in Quynh Luu have already reaped a relatively large yield, bringing in high economic value.

Son Hai Commune (Quynh Luu) currently has 200 fishing boats for sawfish, also known as swordfish, the largest exporter in Nghe An province.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thang in Hamlet 7, Son Hai Commune happily shared: Hairfish are often caught in the fishing grounds of the Gulf of Tonkin, mainly by hook and line fishing. Although it is early in the season, this type of fish is relatively abundant, thanks to which each trip to the sea has a relatively high fish yield. As for his family's boat, for more than a month now, he has caught 3 tons of hairfish. The most special trip was after the full moon holiday on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, only 4 nights at sea but he caught 2 tons of hairfish. With the selling price ranging from 100,000 to 110,000 VND/kg, he earned nearly 200 million VND.

Every year, Son Hai commune exports more than 1,000 tons of needlefish to China. Photo: Hong Dien

Having been involved in the white-shark fishing for export for 10 years, Mr. Nguyen Van Thuan - owner of fishing boat NA 95888 in hamlet 10, Son Hai commune said: To catch this fish effectively, the person doing the job needs to have the technique, qualifications, and understanding of the water. Thanks to his extensive experience in the seafaring profession, on average, each trip to the port, his boat catches 1 ton of white-shark.

Traders sort fish to prepare for transport to consumers. Photo: Hong Dien

The season for catching white hairtail for export by fishermen in Quynh Luu district usually starts from the 7th lunar month of this year and lasts until the 2nd lunar month of the following year. The bigger the hairtail, the higher the value, at its peak reaching 300,000 VND/kg. Every year, the locality exports more than 1,000 tons of hairtail to China through unofficial channels, with a value of over 100 billion VND.

This is a type of fish that lives mainly 25 - 30 m above the water surface and has the second highest economic value after mackerel. According to local fishermen, the fishing tools for hairtail are relatively simple, each crew member only needs to be equipped with 1 fishing reel, 2 stainless steel hooks and use squid or small white hairtail fish to filter out the meat as bait to create a shiny surface so the fish will easily bite the hook. When using this method, the fish is not scratched so the price is usually 20 - 30 thousand VND/kg higher than catching with a purse seine.

The bigger the needlefish, the higher its economic value. Photo: Hong Dien

Mr. Hoang Son - Vice Chairman of Son Hai Commune People's Committee said: "Hairfish is one of the sources with very large output and relatively high economic value, especially purchased by traders for export with stable prices. Therefore, Son Hai encourages fishermen to focus on exploiting hairfish to increase output as well as export value. The commune also proposed to the Department of Fisheries, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to train fishermen on how to preserve hairfish"./.

Red Face