Many of Da Nang’s offshore fishermen have recently suffered losses of up to 50 million VND per trip despite their returning vessels being full of seafood after trips to the Hoang Sa fishing grounds.  The main reason is that the seafood traders at the Tho Quang fishing wharf made allegations about the quality of the fish and their worries about slumping sales in order to buy the seafood at cheaper prices.

Normally, after they have sold their catches, the local fishermen spend just a few days days relaxing before their next trip.  However, dozens of fishing boats have been tied up at the fishing wharf for a week or more, the majority of them being from the provinces of Quang Ngai and Quang Binh.

A fisherman with a successful catch

An owner and captain of a fishing boat from Quang Ngai Province, Mr Nguyen Van Tu, said that he has not yet decided whether to make a new fishing trip or not, although his boat has sufficient crew members on board.  He added that, after his recent 20-day fishing trip, he earned only 5 million VND whilst his crew members were only paid 1.5 million VND each.

On Sunday, some fishermen were busy making preparations for their next trips which will start later this month.  Their supplies of fuel, food, fresh water and ice were being loaded.  However, the fishermen expressed their worries about the possiblity of unprofitable fishing trips.  Meanwhile, they are now facing bank debt payments, and many crew members are losing interest in fishing because of their low incomes.