Photo: Bustling loading scene at Tac Cau Fishing Port, Kien Giang

Bustling scenes of loading goods, bustling voices and laughter are what we recorded at Tac Cau fishing port (Chau Thanh district, Kien Giang province). However, surrounding the lives of fishermen and workers here, there are still worries about the decline in fish production.

In mid-May, at Tac Cau Fishing Port (Chau Thanh District, Kien Giang Province), many seafood purchasing ships and fishing boats carrying dozens of tons of fish, shrimp, and squid docked at the port, making the atmosphere here bustling and bustling.

The "blessings of the sea" brought back are not only the joy of the ship owner but also the happiness of the workers, because the more fish they unload, the higher their wages will be.

Mr. Nguyen Van Nhan (55 years old, Kien Giang province) shared: "After many years of working in the field of unloading, sorting, and transporting fish, we do not calculate the time, whenever the ship owner calls, we are there. This job helps us have a stable life and gradually get used to the smell of fish and the taste of the sea."

Many types of fish have been classified and packed in plastic bags on the boat. When arriving at the port, workers will classify the fish, weigh them and chill them before transferring them to the vehicle.

Fish are sorted separately.

Having worked as a fish sorter at Tac Cau Fishing Port for nearly 15 years, Ms. Nguyen Thi Be Dep (35 years old, Chau Thanh district, Kien Giang province) said that every day, female workers sort over 20 types of fish, the most common of which are anchovies, mullet, and grouper fish. On days when there are many, delicious fish, workers are also given free fish by the ship owner to help with expenses.

Many fish have strange shapes.

However, according to fishermen and workers working at Tac Cau fishing port, the decreasing fish output every year is their worry and concern.

“The amount of fish this year is only about 40% compared to last year. No fish means our transportation fee has also decreased. Before, we got 700,000 VND, but now we can only get 300,000 VND, but it is not possible every day,” Mr. Nhan shared.

Faced with that situation, many people have quit their jobs and moved to Binh Duong and Dong Nai to work with the mindset of stable goods and less economic worries. "Now, most of the port's people are women and the elderly, and the young people are also tied to their families, so they stay here and would not have left. However, we find that the job still helps us make a living and at least we are close to the sea," said Ms. Dep.

For that reason, fishermen and workers who are staying at Tac Cau fishing port day and night only hope for stable oil and fishing gear prices, abundant "sea blessings" to have decent wages and the opportunity to stay with their homeland.

At the end of 2022, the People's Committee of Kien Giang province issued a Decision approving the zoning plan for the construction of Tac Cau fishing port, Chau Thanh district, Kien Giang province, at a scale of 1/2000. Accordingly, the total planning area of ​​the area is about 30.69 hectares, which is a fishing port and fishing logistics service area. Capacity scale (number of trips per day/largest ship size): 500 ships/2,000CV, the amount of aquatic products passing through the port is about 250,000 tons/year. In addition, Kien Giang province has been implementing many solutions to help fishermen overcome difficulties, so that ships can continue to go offshore, stick to the sea and help workers continue to stabilize their jobs.

Laodong.vn