Son Tra District last year recorded nearly 997 billion VND worth of 26,000 tonnes of seafood, an increase of 6% against the previous year. With the launching of more than 40 vessels with a capacity of 800 CV or more last year and early this year, the district is highly expected to achieve its target of 1,048 billion VND by late this year, up 5.1% against 2018.

A ship which is being built in Son Tra District’s Nai Hien Dong Ward, is scheduled to be launched after Tet

According to local fishermen, thanks to favourable weather conditions last year, many vessels conducted up to 10 offshore fishing trips each.

Ms Le Thi Type, residing in Son Tra District’s An Hai Bac Ward, the owner of the fishing vessel DNa90147 TS, eagerly said she and other fishermen were busy making good preparations for their first offshore fishing trips of the New Year in cheerful spirits in the hope of bumper catches.

They together hope that the local fishermen would have a year of successful trips in order to help them earn a living, as well as protect the country’s sacred sovereignty over its sea and islands.

Mr Tran Van Thanh, the Deputy Head of the Son Tra District Economic Affairs Office, remarked in recent years, more than 101 fishermen across the district have registered to build their new fishing boats with a capacity of over 800 CV in line with No 47/2014/QD-UBND regarding fisheries development policies which allow fishermen to access loans for building new boats.

Under the Decision No 47, local fishermen receive 500 million VND from the city’s budget for building 400CV to 600CV fishing boats, 600 million VND for building 600CV to 800CV boats, and 800 million VND for building 800CV and more. In addition, boat owners enjoy exemption from registration fees.

Up to now, the city has approved the total funding of 45 billion VND for the building of new large-capacity fishing vessels.

To date, 83 boats have been launched and headed out to sea for seafood catches.

The district has seen tremendous changes in the restructuring of the fisheries sector. Local fishermen are still being encouraged to build large deep sea boats with a capacity of 400CV or higher in order to ensure more profitable offshore trips to the national waters.

At the same time, heed will be paid to reducing the number of under-20CV fishing vessels and coracles operating in the city’s inshore waters.

In the coming time, the district authorities will cooperate with relevant agencies to implement the upgrading of the Tho Quang Fishing Wharf into a driving force fishing port of the Da Nang Major Fishing Centre.

The over 1,000 billion VND project will be implemented under the public-private partnership (PPP) format, divided into 7 sub-projects funded by the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the municipal People’s Committee.