Recent hike in fuel prices and low seafood prices have caused a significant increase in the costs of offshore fishing trips. However, fishermen in Da Nang’s Son Tra District have been still making efforts to maintain their fishing activities in a bid to promote the value of seafood exploitation, and improve their income.

Fisherman Nguyen Van Binh in Son Tra District’s Tho Quang Ward is checking the voyage monitoring device to prepare for the upcoming offshore fishing trip. Photo: VAN HOANG

Having just returned from a long offshore fishing trip, fisherman Nguyen Van Binh from the district’s Tho Quang Ward said that he and his shipmates took the advantage of recent favourable weather conditions to head out to sea. This is Binh’s fourth offshore fishing trip in 2022.

Binh revealed that the initial cost of his recent journey was up to VND100 million instead of about VND50-70 million as before due to the high prices of petrol and other supplies.

"Hopefully, we will bring bumper seafood catches from the upcoming fishing trips so that we can have more money to cover other expenses", said Mr. Binh.

Meanwhile, fisherman Cao Van Minh residing in the district’s Nai Hien Dong Ward said that one of the difficulties that boat owners are facing is the problem of finding boatmates.

The rise in fuel prices to all-time highs, and low selling price of seafood have negatively affected the income of crew members, even have caused many fishing boats in the locality to stop going out to sea since the longer they sail the more losses they incur.

However, Mr. Minh said that the profession of seafaring is not a bountiful trip, so everyone sympathizes and shares with each other to overcome difficulties.

Mr. Nguyen Xau, leader of the Thang Loi Solidarity Group in Tho Quang Ward remarked that, over the past time, fishing activities of fishermen in the group have encountered difficulties. Many fishing boats have earned little or have been even losing.

However, with the spiritual encouragement from the authorities at all levels as well as their active support in issuing insurance policies for crewmembers and ship hulls and installing modern equipment and facilities (led models, solar batteries, etc.), so the crew members in the group all have tried their efforts to maintain fishing activities at sea for a long time.

Their efforts finally paid off as many group members have caught many kinds of seafood of high quality and economic value, thereby improving production efficiency and family economy.

“Currently, the group members have a total of twelve offshore fishing vessels, 8 of which have a capacity of more than 700CV each with an average catch of 5-10 tons of fish/vessel," said Mr.Xau.

According to the district’s Economic Office, the district currently has 1,194 fishing boats, 437 of which have a length of 15m or more. In 2021, fishing production is estimated at 18,914 tons, reaching 70.4% of the district's plan and representing 74.21% over the same period in 2020.

In an effort to make local fishermen feel secure whilst conducting fishing activities at sea, the Son Tra District authorities have issued many support policies for fishermen.

Specifically, the district government has proposed the municipal People's Committee to consider and approve the list of beneficiaries who are enable to enjoy the city's hull insurance support policy.

Also, three solar battery rigs, and one set of LED lighting equipment, have been given to needy fishing boats. 800 plastic seafood trays have been donated to 20 fishing boats.

Difficult fishermen onboard fishing boats in distress at sea have been received financial aid worth a total amount of VND345 million.

The Da Nang People's Committee has provided local fishermen with three models of product storage tunnels for fishermen and one fish detector model, as well as installed voyage monitoring devices for 429 offshore fishing vessels.

Vice Chairman of Son Tra District People's Committee Huynh Van Hung underlined that, in the coming time, Son Tra District will continue to support fishermen to build new vessels, or to upgrade their existing ones, to withstand strong winds and high waves at sea, thereby enhancing the capacity and efficiency of offshore fishing activities, and promoting the role of production solidarity groups at sea, especially offshore groups and fisheries unions.

Reporting by VAN HOANG - Translating by M.DUNG