At the end of the year, welcome joy from the sea.

QUANG NGAI: A rather large rope pulled a hundreds-kilogram sailfish out of the cold storage cellar. Many people gathered to move the fish ashore amidst cheerful chatter and laughter in the slanting afternoon sun.

A bountiful fishing season.

As the afternoon sun slants by, the My A fishing port (Tra Cau ward, Quang Ngai province ) bustles with buyers and sellers. Fishing boats dock after days at sea. Fisherman Nguyen Hiep (47 years old, residing in Tra Cau ward, owner of fishing boat QNg-98676TS with a capacity of 410CV) intently watches his fellow fishermen unload their catch to sell to traders.

Fishermen inspect the floating, fluffy nets before casting them into the sea. Photo: Thanh Phong.

The pulley turned, and a large rope pulled the hundreds-kilogram sailfish out of the cold storage hold. Many people gathered to carry the fish from the boat to shore amidst cheerful chatter and laughter. After four days and nights of gillnet fishing about 60 nautical miles from shore, Mr. Hiep and his nine fellow fishermen caught over 2.2 tons of fish. Among them were five sailfish, each weighing around 130 kilograms, with the rest mainly skipjack tuna. Mr. Hiep calculated: "This amount of fish will sell for over 130 million dong, after deducting expenses, we'll have about 100 million dong left. My two partners and I who pooled our capital to buy the boat will get a higher share, 14 million dong each. Each fisherman on the crew will get over 7 million dong..."

At the age of 30, fisherman Do Duy Khanh (from Tra Cau ward) has over 10 years of experience making a living on the sea. Khanh contributed 60 million VND along with Mr. Hiep and other crew members to buy a gillnet system about 18 kilometers long to fish in the waters of Vietnam. The mesh size is 10 centimeters, so it only catches large fish, each weighing 2 kilograms or more, which fetch a relatively high price.

With calm seas and clear skies, they bought fuel and food and set sail together. "Fishing is a profession where sometimes you catch a lot of fish, but other times you don't get much. This trip yielded such a good catch, making everyone happy. After selling the fish, we'll go back out to sea to continue fishing and earn money for Tet (Lunar New Year)...", Khanh said with a bright smile.

Pulling the fish out of the tank. Photo: Thanh Ky.

Technical improvements, increased exploitation efficiency.

The fishing vessel QNg-98888TS, with a power of 864CV, captained by Ngo Thanh Phong (46 years old, residing in Tra Cau ward), docked ashore to the joyful welcome of his relatives. Phong, along with his younger brother and brother-in-law, recently invested over 2 billion VND to purchase a floating net system approximately 20 kilometers long and 20 meters wide to earn a living on the open sea.

The nets are stored in the hold at the bow of the ship. As the sun sets over the vast sea, the fishermen pull the nets to the stern and throw them into the water. The captain steers the ship forward, and the nets automatically pull themselves out into the cool water. The fishermen sit on deck, chatting comfortably, instead of having to line up to lower the nets into the sea as in gillnet or purse seine fishing.

Fishermen in Quang Ngai province celebrate the arrival of a bountiful harvest from the sea at the end of the year. Photo: Thanh Ky.

As dawn broke on the horizon, they stood on the deck assisting with the net hauling and fish removal. The mesh size was 13 centimeters, so it only caught large fish that fetched a relatively high price. "Fishing with a gill net is much easier than other methods. That's why many fishermen have switched to this. This type of net doesn't get tangled, so there's no need to untangle it like with drag nets or purse seines."

"This net only catches large fish, leaving the smaller ones to grow and reproduce. The floating gill net is especially efficient, reducing labor costs during times of fisherman shortages. My boat has three fewer crew members compared to when we used purse seine and gillnet fishing, but the crew works just fine. The amount of fish caught might be slightly less, but the quality and selling price are higher, so the income remains the same as before...", Phong confided.

After 10 days and nights of fishing on the open sea, Phong and his fellow fishermen caught about 7 tons of sailfish, grouper, and tuna. The price of tuna ranged from 35,000 to 55,000 VND per kilogram, while sailfish fetched around 70,000 VND per kilogram. Their total income was estimated at 260 million VND. After deducting expenses, the three fishermen who pooled their capital to build the boat and buy nets each earned over 30 million VND, with the other fishermen receiving over 6 million VND. Their previous trip, which lasted 9 days and nights, yielded 6 tons of fish at a high price, so each fisherman received 8 million VND.

A sailfish weighing hundreds of kilograms caught in the open sea. Photo: Thanh Ky.

"Floating nets are much more strenuous than other fishing methods. The last two trips yielded a good income, so everyone is excited. After selling the fish, we'll head out to sea tonight," confided fisherman Nguyen Van Ninh (52 years old, from Tra Cau ward, a fellow fisherman on Phong's boat).

Tra Cau ward currently has 490 fishing vessels with nearly 3,300 fishermen participating in fishing at sea. In 2025, fishermen are expected to harvest more than 31,000 tons of seafood. Many fishing vessels operating in distant waters generate billions of dong in income.

"We will focus on developing a harmonious balance between fishing and aquaculture; attracting investment to develop a fisheries logistics service area associated with My A fishing port; forming a processing zone for seafood products and a concentrated aquaculture zone applying high technology in the locality...", said Mr. Nguyen The Vinh - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tra Cau Ward.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/cuoi-nam-don-niem-vui-tu-bien-d795088.html