Shrimp prices are high, Nghe An fishermen are excited

(Baonghean.vn) - In the last days of 2017 at Lach Con wharf, Hoang Mai town, dozens of fishing vessels docked with full loads of sea shrimp; the buying, selling and processing of shrimp took place quite busily.

Fishermen in Quynh Lap commune (Hoang Mai town) transporting shrimp to shore. Photo: Nguyen Van

As soon as the boat docked, traders were present to directly purchase. Each tray of fresh pink shrimp that had just been caught by fishermen was quickly transferred to shore. It was the main shrimp harvesting season, so the yield was high, the shrimp were big, convenient for processing dried shrimp.

Currently, the purchase price of shrimp at the wharf is 22,000 VND/kg, 3 times higher than last year. Therefore, fishermen are very excited and focus on working to harvest shrimp.

The characteristic of sea urchins is that they often appear in strips in areas near the shore, so small boats can easily operate.

Main season shrimp are big and bright pink. Photo: Nguyen Van

The furthest shrimp fishing area is about 6 nautical miles from Lach Con wharf. Fishermen set out at around 3am. On a lucky day, the boat can be full by dawn, run back to the wharf to sell and return to fish for another trip. With only 1-2 workers, an average of 2-3 quintals of fresh sea shrimp can be fished in a day, with some boats even carrying 6-7 quintals of shrimp.

As soon as the shrimp is harvested, traders buy it all. After the traders buy the fresh shrimp, they will be put into steaming and drying ovens to produce dried shrimp, also known as moi.

This product is mainly sold to China through unofficial channels, a small amount is consumed domestically. Due to the high output of shrimp floss, processing facilities in Quynh Lap are operating at full capacity these days, mobilizing a large workforce. Even on the return trips at the end of the day, the facilities have to steam and dry the products all night.

Fresh shrimp after being purchased is quickly put into the steamer. Photo: Nguyen Van

After being steamed and dried, the shrimp is cleaned by separating other seafood and then packed into large cardboard boxes and shipped for consumption during the day.

Quynh Lap commune has about 40 specialized fishing vessels. Depending on the season and tide, fishermen can exploit many different types of products such as shrimp, squid, herring, mantis shrimp, iron shrimp... These are all products that are popular in the market, with stable and quite high prices.

According to Mr. Le Ba Thuan in Dong Tien hamlet, the fleet of nearshore fishing boats is equipped with engines with a capacity of 50 - 180CV by fishermen, and the income of seafaring workers is quite stable. Some boats with 4-5 workers earn more than 100 million VND/person per year.

The finished product is dried shrimp with a beautiful bright color; after being cleaned, the shrimp is packaged and sold to China. Photo: Nguyen Van

Fishing boats are suitable for fishermen with little capital and no labor, or for old fishermen with a lot of experience in fishing but are old.

The bumper shrimp season these days is a good sign for Quynh Lap fishermen in particular and Hoang Mai fishermen in general to continue to confidently stick to the sea and hope for a new year of prosperity for the fishing industry.

Nguyen Van