New fishing season: Fishermen win 'sea fortune' at the year end

From March to September of the lunar calendar is usually the time for catching herring and deep-herring fishes in the waters of Vung Tau City (Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province).

However, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic this year, fishermen had to temporarily stop going to sea during the social distancing, so the fishing had been delayed for about three months. In return, as soon as they set off-shored, many had grossed a bumper harvest of herring and deep-herring fish. This made them very happy.

Just a few hours after going offshore, dozens of boats and ships of Vung Tau fishermen returned and anchored to load off heavy nets of herring fish.

Like many other fishermen, Mr. Nguyen Toan from Vung Tau City has over 40 years of experience in fishing herring. Today, after many days of having to stay at home, Toan's boat rushed to the sea in the very early morning to hunt for the so-called “sea fortune” and has surprisingly won it.

"Normally, I have to fish offshore at night and go back at nearly 7 am, but today I am lucky enough to get a big catch. Catching herring is not too difficult, just working hard by going early to the sea. Sometimes, if I can get a huge catch like today, I can earn several million dongs after only a few hours," Toan said.

He estimated this trip could bring him about 3 quintals of herring and with the selling price ranging from VND15,000-20,000/kg, he could earn about VND5 million.

Similarly, Pham Dinh Lan (Vung Tau City) said that he has been attached to fishing at sea for a long time. This year the pandemic had caused a delay to his work for a few months, but after that time, he found the fish had flourished, and now at every trip, he can catch full of fish. After a few days, he also earned dozens of millions of dong from this herring season.

"Every day, my boat usually departs from 3:00 am, then returns at the sunrise to remove fish and then sort out to sell to local traders, residents or tourists."

Hundreds of fishermen practicing basket boats in Phuoc Hai Town, Dat Do district were also eager to go to sea after many days of social distancing due to the Covid-19. This is also the first locality of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province that allows fishermen to fish near the shore following local instructions.

Mr. Doan Minh Hai, another fisherman in Phuoc Tinh town, Dat Do District, said that two months of not fishing had made him feel very sad.

“I woke up at 3 am to get on board of fishing. Being allowed to fish again is so excited for me and other fishermen. On the first day of going to the sea, I had collected one quintal of deep-herring fish and earned VND3 million," Phuoc said excitedly.

Under the wharf, many fishermen are also urgently preparing nets and other "logistics" to be ready to go fishing full of hope to win big catches. For many of them, although herring is not of high economic value like tuna, mackerel, and squid, they can take advantage by using just small boats to fish near the shore.

Fishing grounds for herring are usually only about 10 and 12 nautical miles from the shore with the most in Vung Tau City and Long Hai, Long Dien District. Usually, from November to the end of February of the next lunar year, fishermen can fish herring and return to Bai Sau area to avoid the wind and catch other small fish.

Mr. Le Van Hoa, Secretary of Dat Do District Party Committee said: "Dat Do is one of the four ‘green areas’ districts of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. It is also an area with a large number of laborers at sea. To create conditions for 100% of fishermen to go to sea, the locality rotates 50% of the total number of fishing facilities to be offshored during the day...”

According to Hoa, in the past, the situation of buying and selling seafood after catching often took place on roads so could not ensure hygienic conditions and had caused obstruction to local traffic. However, in recent days, the seafood products caught off-shore by local fishermen has been sold to small traders. People can buy directly at the beach or in Phuoc Hai market.

"Currently, the Phuoc Hai town’s authority has leveled the ground of trading areas and mobilized fishermen to carry their products there sell. It also propagated to people to buy and sell the caught seafood in open places to ensure environmental sanitation and well implement regulations on pandemic prevention and control," said Mr. Le Van Hoa.