Binh Thuan fishermen in the winter season

It is the middle of the 10th lunar month, which is the time when fishermen in the province start the winter fishing season (from September to March of the following year), which is one of the two main fishing seasons for fishermen here. However, this is the time when storms and tropical depressions often appear at sea, due to the influence of the Northeast monsoon, so fishing for fishermen will not be as favorable as in the southern fishing season. In order for fishing activities to be highly effective and safe, ship owners need to proactively grasp weather information and ensure safe means of transport when going to sea.

Hope for the wick

In mid-November 2024, at the boat anchorage area along the Ca Ty River and Phu Hai fishing port (Phan Thiet City), hundreds of fishing boats were still on shore, waiting for information about storm No. 8. Although the new fishing season was entering, many fishermen were still in no hurry to go to sea because the weather was not suitable, and they also wanted to take advantage of the time to repair boats, fix engines, and buy more necessary fishing gear for a safe trip to sea during the winter season. Fisherman Nguyen Tam (Duc Thang ward) whose boat is fishing with a trawl net said: “After monitoring weather information, it is forecasted that there will be a northeast monsoon in the coming days, so I decided to wait a few days before leaving port. The weather for the Bac fish season is not as favorable as the Nam fish season, so it is necessary to ensure good safety conditions when the boat goes out to sea. I have just "overhauled" the boat for more than 100 million VND, hoping that fishing in this season will earn a decent profit. Although the Bac fish season's output is not as abundant as the Nam fish season, in return there are many seafood species with high economic value and good consumption markets, especially as the Lunar New Year approaches."

Many ships were brought to the dock for refurbishment and engine repair.

Others remained on shore, listening to weather information on the East Sea.

According to the experience of local fishermen, this year's southern fish season is only favorable at the beginning of the season, but from the middle of the season onwards, the output and price of fish both decrease, so after deducting all expenses, fishermen do not make much profit after each trip. Therefore, they predict that the bac fish season will be more bountiful, so they are ready to go to sea when the weather is favorable. In particular, there are only more than 2 months left until the traditional New Year, so fishermen also take advantage of long fishing trips with the hope that the hold will be full of fish and shrimp, and the family will have a warm and prosperous New Year.

Preparing ingredients and ice for a long sea trip. (Photo: N. Lan)

In this season, fishing activities such as cage traps, bottom trawling, scooping, and dragnets are the main activities because most of them exploit bottom-dwelling fish with high economic value. At the same time, fishing boats in the open sea also appear with many pelagic fish such as anchovies, croakers, mollusks, shrimp, and shrimp. However, in recent years, resources have been depleted, fuel prices have increased, and the weather has been unpredictable, so fishermen must calculate carefully and are encouraged to fish in groups. If they are lucky enough to encounter a large fish population, they will not have to worry about losses.

Anchovies often appear in large numbers during the winter season. Photo: N. Lan.

Regular fishing ground information

According to the Department of Fisheries, this year, the price of gasoline is high, the number of seafarers is decreasing, the regulations on fishing licenses, registration, inspection as well as conditions for going offshore are somewhat stricter to prevent IUU fishing, so some ship owners also have the mentality of "hibernation" after the end of the southern fishing season. Therefore, to accompany and support fishermen in the northern fishing season, the Department of Fisheries and the Provincial Border Guard regularly provide information on weather conditions and fishing grounds so that fishermen can organize high-efficiency fishing. The Provincial Border Guard Command has directed border posts in the province to seriously implement the direction of the Provincial Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control; inform vessels operating at sea about storm information on the unit's on-duty system, open 24/7 watch stations to receive information, call and guide vessels and owners of vessels to have prevention plans. In addition, the Phan Thiet Coastal Information Station is also on duty 24/24, broadcasting storm information on the frequency 7906KHz as prescribed so that vessels can receive, proactively monitor, and not enter the storm's danger zone. At the same time, the Border Guard Stations, the Management Boards of fishing ports and fishing wharves in the province strengthen the inspection of safety equipment on fishing vessels before leaving port; encourage fishermen to form production groups and teams at sea, associated with promoting the effectiveness of logistics service vessels at sea.

This is the time when fishermen repair boats and prepare necessary fishing gear for a safe trip.

Hope the catfish crop will be bountiful and the price will be good, fishermen will have a warm and prosperous New Year.

Currently, the whole province has about 8,000 fishing vessels, with about 50,000 workers, of which about 70 - 80% will operate in the winter season, contributing significantly to the total output of the whole province. To support fishermen to overcome unfavorable weather and resource conditions, the authorities have coordinated to regularly provide weather reports, resolutely not allowing boats to leave port when there is a tropical depression or a northeast monsoon at sea. At the same time, timely information on fishing grounds and aquatic resources helps fishermen have a basis to organize exploitation; encourage the application of a number of fishing models with high economic efficiency, purchase modern equipment to focus on exploiting pelagic fish species and expanding fishing grounds. In particular, this is also an opportunity for the authorities to actively propagate, mobilize and guide people to comply with the 2017 Fisheries Law and strictly implement regulations on combating IUU fishing.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/ngu-dan-binh-thuan-vao-vu-bac-125706.html