Staying at sea during rough seas.
The use of gillnets and purse seines to catch various aquatic species in the surface and middle layers of the sea, such as mackerel, tuna, barracuda, scad, anchovies, squid, etc., brings in huge catches, helping many fishermen become millionaires.
Fisherman Bui Khanh Duy from Hai Loc village, Cua Viet commune, said that for nearly 14 years, his family's offshore fishing vessel has been dedicated to the gillnet fishing method. In just the last three months of 2025, his family's vessel earned nearly 1.5 billion VND from catching various types of fish around the Quang Tri fishing grounds. During this season, alternating tropical depressions often cause high waves and strong winds at sea, preventing fishermen in the coastal areas with small boats from going out to sea. Only large offshore fishing vessels equipped with modern fishing gear can operate regularly. For example, Duy's family's fleet of three offshore fishing vessels, each with a capacity of 800-900 horsepower, specializing in gillnet fishing, squid trawling, and squid traps, are currently operating in rotation at sea.
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| Fisherman Vo Minh Toan (in the middle) prepares his tangled gillnet to head out to sea - Photo: SH |
Fisherman Vo Minh Toan from Ha Loi Thuong village, Cua Viet commune, said that his family's 410 HP offshore fishing vessel switched from catching tuna to using gillnets in 2021. Previously, due to the small size of the vessel and outdated equipment, with nets retrieved manually, the nets were only about 800m long and 10m high; the short nets resulted in low economic efficiency in fishing. Currently, most offshore fishing vessels have large engines and are equipped with many modern fishing tools such as: marine radar, fish finders, net identification systems, radios, gillnet retrieval systems, etc. The nets are 8,000m-10,000m long and 38m-40m high. Because the tangled gillnet is made from single-strand PE fiber (each strand consists of 24-72 small, coarsely twisted strands), when the net is cast into seawater, the fibers unravel, forming many small clumps that match the color of the seawater, thus catching more fish. The durability of tangled gillnets is high, with a lifespan of approximately 10 years compared to 2.5 years for regular nets. Fishing with tangled gillnets can be carried out in bad weather conditions with strong winds up to level 5-6 because the net does not twist like other types of gillnets, allowing fishermen to stay at sea longer. The fishing grounds for tangled gillnets are wide, and they can catch seafood in many different sea areas.
"Water filtration" to catch fish.
Fisherman Ho Van Tha from Long An village, Cua Viet commune, said that his family's 700 HP offshore fishing vessel specializes in purse seine fishing with lead weights.
Unlike gillnet fishing, which involves long voyages at sea, purse seine fishing with lead weights only takes 1-3 days per trip and can operate day and night. Purse seine fishing with lead weights specializes in catching fish in the surface and middle layers of the sea using a "water filtering" principle. During fishing, the purse seine net is deployed in a circular pattern on the sea surface, forming a cylindrical shape when lowered into the water. On average, the net's diameter above the water surface is about 500-1000 meters and its depth is about 20-30 meters. When a school of fish is trapped in the net, the lead weights at the bottom pull it in, creating a giant net bag. Then, the lead-free drawstring system at the top retrieves the fish. In recent years, thanks to investments in additional fishing gear such as tractors and sonar, the number of fishermen on each offshore purse seine fishing vessel has decreased to only about 4-6 people/vessel, but the efficiency of seafood harvesting has steadily increased. In the last two months of 2025, his family's offshore fishing vessel earned nearly 1 billion VND from fishing in the Bach Long Vi fishing grounds. In 2025, Mr. Tha's family vessel earned nearly 3 billion VND from purse seine fishing.
According to Hoang Thanh Luong, Head of the Economic Department of Cua Viet Commune, Cua Viet Commune has 271 out of 538 boats and ships with a length of 6 meters or more, and about 40% of them are engaged in gillnet and purse seine fishing. It can be said that gillnet and purse seine fishing yield higher economic efficiency and productivity than other fishing methods; the seafood caught is also very diverse and has higher economic value. Gillnet and purse seine fishing currently provides high income for many offshore fishing vessels in Cua Viet Commune.
Sy Hoang
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/202602/nghe-vang-cua-lang-bien-0f1021a/
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