Effective fishing trips

In recent days, a bustling atmosphere has once again filled the fishing ports as fishermen eagerly head out to sea after the Tet holiday. These early spring fishing trips have been very fortunate, with many fishing boats returning to shore with holds full of anchovies. The joy of a bountiful harvest spreads, heralding a successful year of seafood fishing.

Anchovies are collected to supply fish steaming facilities in Cua Viet town - Photo: LA

Returning from a night of fishing at sea with a hold full of over 2 tons of anchovies, Mr. Tran Kiem, captain of fishing vessel QT 91555TS in Cua Viet town, Gio Linh district, happily shared that his fishing boat resumed fishing on February 14th (the 17th day of the first lunar month). On average, each trip yields 2-3 tons of anchovies, totaling about 15 tons so far. The selling price to traders at shore is relatively stable, averaging 7,000-8,000 VND/kg for anchovies used for fish sauce, and 15,000-18,000 VND/kg for fresh, larger anchovies used for steaming.

According to Mr. Kiem, unlike fishermen in the South Central provinces, fishermen in Quang Tri do not fish at sea throughout the Tet holiday. After completing their last fishing trip of the year, they bring their boats back to shore to rest and celebrate the Lunar New Year. After Tet, around the 4th or 5th of January, depending on an auspicious day, a small number of fishing boats will begin to set sail to "select the day," as the fishermen call it, to pray for good luck at the beginning of the spring. The majority of fishermen only truly venture out to sea to fish after the 15th of January, when the weather stabilizes and schools of fish begin to gather.

Along with Mr. Kiem, Mr. Le Van Cuong, captain of fishing vessel QT 94466TS in Cua Viet town, also had a very successful first fishing trip of the spring. Since the 15th day of the first lunar month, his fishing vessel has made four trips, each trip yielding about 1.5 - 3 tons of anchovies. This is an important source of income, contributing to the stability of fishermen's lives and creating momentum for subsequent fishing trips.

Not only fishing vessels, but also fishing support ships have been operating vigorously to serve fishermen. Mr. Le Van Bong, captain of fishing vessel QT 91739TS, who specializes in purchasing seafood at sea in Cua Viet town, said that his fishing vessel started its fishing season on January 13th. At that time, he followed other fishing vessels out to sea, even into the waters of Quang Ngai .

He only returned to the Quang Tri fishing grounds on January 17th to buy fish. Since the Lunar New Year, his fishing boat has purchased more than 50 tons of anchovies at prices ranging from 7,000 - 8,000 VND/kg for fish used to make fish sauce, 12,000 - 13,000 VND/kg for good quality fish used for steaming, and fresh fish sold to traders at markets for 18,000 - 20,000 VND/kg.

Along with the bustling activity of fishermen heading out to sea, the fishing ports are also vibrant. Fishing boats are moored close together, the sound of engines blending with the chatter of buyers and sellers. Mr. Phan Duc Khanh, representative of the Cua Viet fishing port and market, said that from January 15th until now, an average of 12-15 fishing boats, mainly belonging to local fishermen, have docked at the port daily to unload their catch.

According to the catch count, each fishing vessel averaged about 3 tons of anchovies, with some vessels hitting large schools of fish and achieving catches of 7-8 tons per trip. With this abundant yield, the Cua Viet fishing port is witnessing a promising new fishing season.

According to the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Cua Viet town, Hoang Thi Thu Thuy, the town has a total of nearly 300 boats, of which 145 are 15 meters or longer and specialize in offshore fishing. Preliminary statistics show that from the beginning of 2025 to the present, the town's total catch has reached approximately 1,800 tons, with about 1,500 tons caught since the Lunar New Year alone, mainly anchovies.

The current fish prices are quite stable, providing fishermen with a good income. Although they only started fishing about a week ago, after deducting expenses, it is estimated that each crew member received between 10 and 15 million VND, depending on the boat. In addition, the fishermen's successful anchovy catch has enabled dozens of fish processing facilities in the town to operate at full capacity, creating jobs for hundreds of local workers.

"Besides anchovies, some boats also caught scad, such as the boat of fisherman Ho Van Tha which caught 6 tons of scad, and fisherman Tran Hong Linh which caught 1 ton. This type of seafood has a relatively high selling price, from 40,000 to 100,000 VND/kg depending on size, bringing high income to fishermen," Ms. Thuy added.

According to Phan Huu Thang, head of the Fisheries Sub-Department, since the beginning of the year, taking advantage of favorable weather and abundant aquatic resources, especially anchovies, fishing vessels using trawling and purse seine nets have actively ventured out to sea for production, with many vessels achieving high yields. The estimated total aquatic product catch for the first two months of the year is over 3,500 tons.

In collaboration with fishermen, the unit has actively guided ship owners and captains in organizing cooperative teams and solidarity groups of fishermen to work together, venturing out to sea and staying at sea in favorable weather conditions to ensure both safety and increased productivity. At the same time, it has intensified propaganda and guidance for fishermen to venture out to sea, fish in the correct areas and routes, and not violate regulations on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

“With these positive signs, fishermen in Quang Tri are having a promising start to the 2025 fishing season. Not only will a bountiful fishing season bring stable income, but it will also contribute to boosting local economic development, creating more jobs, and stabilizing the lives of thousands of workers in the fisheries sector,” Mr. Thang said.

Le An

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nhung-chuyen-vuon-khoi-hieu-qua-191912.htm