Bustling first sea trip of the year

(Baonghean)- The atmosphere of fishermen "opening the sea" on the first day of the year is urgent and bustling. Fishing boats collect ice, pump oil and prepare necessary supplies to be ready to enter the new sea season full of hope...

Right from the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, fishermen in Dien Ngoc commune - Dien Chau brought offerings to Thien pagoda, went to Ong temple to pray for a peaceful new year. And the fishing festival associated with the first trip to sea to find "fortune" of the year is a long-standing custom of fishermen. To prepare for the first "sea voyage" of the new year, each fishing couple, some carrying oil, some pushing ice carts and other necessities, hurriedly headed out to sea... Fishing boats simultaneously hung the national flag, started their engines to "take the time" to make the fishing port bustling and bustling. Mr. Nguyen Van Chau in Ngoc Van hamlet - a person with more than 50 years of experience at sea, said: The annual fishing festival has become a traditional festival of Dien Ngoc fishermen. This is an occasion for fishermen to respectfully inform heaven and earth, hoping that their sea trips during the year will be safe. This year, in our experience, the 6th day of Tet is considered the best day to "go out" at the beginning of the year.

Nghi Thuy fishermen (Cua Lo) have a good fish season at the beginning of the year.

At 2:00 p.m. on January 6, boats full of fish and shrimp, carrying the joy of fishermen, began to dock at Lach Van. Fishing boat with registration number NA 2763-TC had just docked when the boat owner Phan Ngoc Sam (in Dong Loc hamlet, Dien Ngoc commune - Dien Chau) hurriedly got on board and smiled with satisfaction: "This trip caught 1.2 tons of colored fish. The weather was favorable, plus the fish were caught in a good flow, so the harvest was bumper." Mr. Sam calculated that with the above amount of fish, he earned approximately 10 million VND in just 1 day. Next door, Nguyen Van Hai's boat (in Ngoc Minh hamlet) has just docked with more than 1 ton of fish - this is one of the boats that hit the jackpot on the first sea trip of 2013. Hai said: "On the first day of the year, every boat wants to weigh anchor to get luck for the whole year. This year's "open sea" trip to pray for luck, no one lost money on fuel, every boat caught 700-800 kg of fish or more. The sea is calm, the weather is warm, thanks to that, we got fish... Like my boat, it left the port at 4am, and by 3pm, all the goods had been imported." Fish prices are still higher than usual. According to Nguyen Thi Thu, the owner of a seafood purchasing warehouse in Ngoc Minh hamlet: "Every year, buying and selling shrimp and fish from the first shipments of the year is very quick because everyone is comfortable, with the mentality of "if the beginning is smooth, the end will be smooth". In the coming days, the price situation cannot be stable because the supply cannot meet the demand."

In the past few days, boats full of fish have continuously docked at Lach Van port. Traders are waiting at the dock. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Dien Ngoc commune, added: This year, Dien Ngoc fishermen celebrated Tet quite properly, because 2012 was a successful year in both output and types of seafood caught. The total output reached over 12,000 tons (exceeding the plan by over 1,000 tons), accounting for over 1/3 of the total output of the district; the production value reached nearly 200 billion VND. Of which, exported shrimp and fish reached 1,260 tons, anchovy 7,200 tons, over 3,000 tons of shrimp, crab, snails and fish sauce processing reached over 2 million liters. During the trip to sea on the 6th day of Tet, Dien Ngoc fishermen caught an estimated 30 tons of colored fish... What is worth mentioning in Dien Ngoc is that although the number of fishing boats has decreased in recent years, the total capacity has still increased, because many households have focused on investing in upgrading capacity; at the same time, they have equipped fish detectors and installed a winch system that is both convenient to operate and economically efficient.

With the urgent atmosphere of preparing for the new fishing season, Nghi Thuy fishing port (Cua Lo) is busier than usual. Trucks carrying supplies, fuel, and food for long fishing trips enter and exit the port one after another. Before leaving the port, the owners of offshore fishing boats do not forget to perform a traditional ritual, which is to light incense sticks at the bow of the boat to pray for a safe trip at sea, the boat returns with a full hold of shrimp and fish... At Nghi Thuy fishing port, there are currently about 400 large and small boats operating. With favorable weather, plus the fishermen boldly investing in modern means and equipment, the first trips to sea in the year are all successful, creating excitement and optimism for the fishermen. Mr. Nguyen Van Hue - Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Nghi Thuy Ward, said: "It is not until the 28th of Tet that most fishermen leave the sea to return home to celebrate Tet and enjoy Spring with their families, but on the morning of the 1st day of Tet, many fishermen have already held a ceremony to set sail. This year, the good days chosen by fishermen to "set sail" are the 1st, 6th and 9th of January. Most of the fishermen's "sea trips" have shown positive signs. On the 6th day of Tet alone, fishermen of Nghi Thuy Ward caught more than 100 tons of seafood; the first nets of the year that the ship owners hit big were mainly shrimp, shrimp, swallow fish, small fish... The weather from the beginning of the year until now has had a light northeast monsoon, the sea is calm, which is a sign of a "good harvest", so most ship owners are taking advantage of this time to increase their catch"...

Not only big boats have a bumper harvest, but small boats also catch a lot of shrimp and fish during the day. Fisherman Nguyen Van Phuong (in block 8 - Nghi Thuy) happily said: "During Tet, every family has extra meat and fat. My boat is small, and I can only catch a few small fish during the day, but they are fresh and sell for a good price. Compared to the same period in previous years, this is the time we have had the highest income at sea. Hopefully this year's business will be smooth sailing." According to statistics, Nghi Thuy ward has 162 fishing boats, of which 40 have a capacity of over 90CV. 2012 was considered a year of many victories for the fishing industry of Nghi Thuy people, with an output of 6,125 tons of exploited seafood, a production value of over 57 billion VND; many fishing teams regularly hit big, with an average of 40-45 million VND/person/year. In addition, the locality has also introduced new fishing methods such as high-speed trawling, dragnets, crab balls... Along with the development of the fishing service system, it has created more jobs for people in the region.

Boats full of shrimp and fish at the beginning of the year are the joy and wishes of fishermen. With the bustling atmosphere, a good fishing season from the first days of the year is signaling a peaceful and prosperous new year for seafarers.

Article and photos: Ngoc Anh