Every day, a combined total of between 50 and 60 fishing boats dock at the Da Nang-based Tho Quang Fishing Wharf with hundreds of tons of seafood, according to the Authority of the wharf.

Fishermen were unloading freshly-caught fish from their boats. Photo: HOANG HIEP

In these days leading up to the Tet Festival 2022, the bustling trading atmosphere has been recorded at the Tho Quang Fishing Wharf and Port as fishing vessels have continuously berthed bumper-to-bumper after their offshore fishing trips to the Hoang Sa waters.

Returning ashore after 13 days of fishing in the Hoang Sa waters, fishing boat QNg 92417 TS from Quang Ngai Province, captained by Mr. Vo Van Cuong, brought back 23 tonnes of fish of all kinds, many of which have high economic value including alum, stretch fish, croaker, and mackerel.

“I and crew member are very happy at our bumper seafood catches. After this offshore fishing trip, we will conduct one more trip to have more income for everyone to celebrate a happy Tet” said captain Cuong.

Not far away, Mr. Bui Cong Thang, who hails from Quang Ngai Province’s Duc Pho Town and is the owner of the fishing boat QNg 94982 TS, is preparing for his upcoming year-end offshore fishing journey.

Mr. Thang said he often made short-day offshore fishing trips (from 7-10 days) in the pre-Tet months.

“During our recent offshore fishing trip, we brought back 2 tonnes of fish, mainly tuna. We hve made 4 offshore fishing trips so far this year. During the forthcoming year-end fishing trip, we hope to catch a lot of seafood in a bid to improve people's lives during the upcoming Lunar New Year” added Mr. Thang.

Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Van Tieng, a resident of Son Tra District’s Nai Hien Dong Ward, said that his family currently has 3 large fishing boats with a capacity of over 800CV that often conduct offshore fishing journeys to the Hoang Sa fishing ground. There are 4-10 crew members onboard each ship.

It is known that each offshore fishing trip usually lasts from 15-20 days. From October to November 2021, he made 3 offshore fishing trips, one of which brought back nearly 4 tons of fish of all kinds with a total value of about VND300 million. Each crew member earned about VND 13-15 million after deducting all kinds of expenses.

Deputy Head of the Authority of the Tho Quang Fishing Wharf Nguyen Lai said from January 1 - 11, a combined total of 560 fishing vessels brought back 3,165 tons of seafood. Like previous year, the city’s demand for seafood for Tet is expected to increase by about 30%. Such types of fish as mackerel, tuna, pompano, and halibut will be preferred by locals.

According to Mr. Nguyen Lai, from now until the end of the Lunar Year of Buffalo, the prices of seafood are likely to increase continuously. However, aside from freshly-caught fish, there is a large amount of imported frozen fish, so people do not worry about lack of fish during the upcoming holiday.

Reporting by VAN HOANG – Translating by M.DUNG