The captain of fishing boat QB 91557 from Quang Binh Province, Mr Mai Tien Van, has nearly 30 years’ experience of fishing in the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa fishing grounds, the Gulf of Tonkin, and elsewhere along the central coast.  He has therefore experienced the hardships of fishing, and dangerous situations at sea.

He said that many offshore Vietnamese fishermen like him not only encounter storms at sea and aggressive attacks by hostile ships, but they also face fluctuations in the prices of seafood and fuel.

Loading a basket full of scad fish into a fishing boat

In the past, Mr Van has always wanted to net many bumper catches of fish and then sell them whilst at sea in order to then continue his fishing without returning to port.  His simple dream came true 4 years ago as he began shifting from drift netting to the use of Seine and drag nets to catch fish, as well as making mutual exchanges of seafood for provisions with the fisheries support ships from Da Nang.

After his 10-day fishing trip along the central coast in the 6th lunar month of this year, Mr Van earned over 500 million VND from selling his catches to the fisheries support ships from the city.

Meanwhile, another fishing boat from Quang Binh Province, QB 91136, is still operating in Viet Nam’s territorial waters in the hope of more profitable catches of scad fish.  The captain of the fishing boat, Mr Mai Van Thu, said that he had earned over 600 million VND from selling his catches to the fisheries support ships.

Thanks to close links with fisheries support ships for mutual interest, the offshore fishermen can feel secure about their next trips, which will help them to earn a living as well as protect the country’s sacred sovereignty over its sea and islands.