Fishermen are happy to reach out to sea through Tet

A sharp increase of fishing boats "clinging" to sea through Tet 

To encourage fishermen to reach out to sea for economic development and contribute to protecting the country's sovereignty over sea and islands, on January 18, Khanh Hoa Fisheries Sub-Department held a ceremony to start the fishing season 2022.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Le Ba Ninh, Deputy Director of Khanh Hoa Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) said: “Since thousands of years ago, the sea and islands have been an inseparable part of Vietnam Fatherland and Nation. Seas and islands are the home and living sources for millions of Vietnamese fishermen. Our forefathers have spared nothing to protect and preserve them. It can be said that the marine economy, including the fishing industry, has made a great and very important contribution to the construction and defense of the Fatherland.”

Khanh Hoa with its coastline of 385km and over 200 large and small islands, many airtight bays, deepwater ports, and especially the Spratly Islands is very convenient for developing the fishing industry.

According to Mr. Ninh, over the past time, fishing activities in the province have made a significant contribution to socio-economic development, created jobs, and helped stabilize local iving conditions of the fishing community. In 2021, the country's seafood exploitation in general and Khanh Hoa, in particular, faced numerous difficulties due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the effects of the "yellow card" imposed on Vietnam's seafood exports.

Moreover, the weather at sea was very harsh and sea sovereignty disputes were complicated... Despite that, Khanh Hoa fishermen with their hard work and diligence still actively reached out to sea. They had grossed remarkable results with a total output of 85,000 tons, helping the seafood processing and export earn about USD632.4 million, accounting for 48.65% of the whole province’s export turnover, an increase of 25.32% compared to 2020.

At the opening ceremony of the fishing season 2022, on behalf of the leaders of the DARD, Ninh wished all fishermen a smooth sailing, a bountiful harvest, and especially strictly complying with regulations on anti-IUU fishing, contributing to the country’s effort to remove the "yellow card" imposed by the European Commission.

Meanwhile, Mr, Nguyen Trong Chanh, Director of Khanh Hoa Fisheries Sub-Department, said 126 tuna fishing boats and long-distance trawlers from across the province will participate in this fishing season through Tet, an increase of over 20 boats compared to the previous year.

Just coming back from a tuna fishing trip, fisherman Tran Van Hieu from Vinh Phuoc ward, Nha Trang City who is captain of fishing boat KH 99088 TS anchored at Hon Ro port, said his boat expects to return to fishing grounds at sea in 2-3 days and will stay there through Tet.

This is the 14th year he has stayed at sea through Tet. This month onwards is the main tuna fishing season -a good chance for boat owners and fishermen to make large profits. Therefore, as a fisherman, he must “cling” to the sea to earn a living.

“At first, I felt sad, but I got used to it after a few years. Now, for fishermen, we feel this is a normal thing, the important thing is to catch a lot of fish from the sea and sell at the a high price to stabilize our life", said Hieu.

Commitment not to illegally fishing 

According to fishermen, this is the main season for catching ocean tuna and striped tuna. Currently, the weather is very favorable, the sea is calm, the price of fish has increased sharply. Specifically, price of ocean tuna stands at VND145,000-149,000/kg (the highest in the past 10 years) while price of striped tuna is VND60,000-65,000/kg (type 1) and VND45,000-50,000/kg (type 2), an increase of VND10,000-15,000/kg compared to the previous seasons. Therefore, fishermen are very excited to reach out to sea through Tet.

Another fisherman, Nguyen Thanh Phuoc excitedly said to stay at sea through Tet, his boat had prepared 400 ice blocks, 3,500 liters of oil, and many other essential goods so that his team of five workers could fully enjoy Tet like when they are inland.

Phuoc said this sea voyage cost him about VND100 million, an increase of VND20 million compared to normal trips. However, with favorable weather, a forecast to have a stream of tuna, and most importantly, the purchased price of tuna having increased sharply, his team is very excited to reach out to sea and be ready to stay there through Tet.

Fisherman Nguyen Tan Lau, Vice Chairman of Vinh Phuoc Fisheries Union, also the owner of boat KH 96778 TS expressed his hope that after this sea voyage, all boats will return after Tet with a bumper harvest. To contribute to removing the "yellow card" and restoring the fisheries industry, his boat and many other fishermen pledged to comply with all regulations of law, not to infringe on foreign waters.

Fisherman Nguyen Tan Lau also wants to represent the fishermen community to propose relevant ministries and agencies should be more present in the seas, especially in the bordering areas, in order to promptly support fishermen in case of incidents, and at the same time prevent strange ships from encroaching on Vietnamese waters. In addition, he said, the State needs to have new and more preferential policies for fishermen in the coming year to not only help them stabilize living but also contribute to affirming and protecting the country's sacred sovereignty over the sea and islands.