 Fishing boats at Hon Ro fishing port are ready to set out for first fishing trips. |
Hon Ro fishing port in Khanh Hoa province was busy stocking fishing boats with fuel and ice for their first voyage of the year.
Nguyen Duc, a ship owner in Quang Ngai province, and his crew of 10, will depart for Truong Sa on Tuesday.
“I just returned from celebrating Tet in my hometown. I’m preparing fishing nets for our first voyage and loading fuel and ice for our departure. Truong Sa has many islands where fish are abundant in the first three lunar months. We’ll fish there for about 20 days,” Duc said.
Last year, Khanh Hoa province’s aquatic output totaled 95,000 tons. The territorial waters of Truong Sa and DK1 platform are the main fishing grounds of Khanh Hoa province. Its fishermen boost Vietnam’s economic development while defending sea and island sovereignty.
Each year, the offshore fishing fleet conducts 9 or 10 voyages. Each trip lasts about a month. To prepare for the new fishing season, boat owners advance pay to their crew.
 Fishing boats load ice for their departure. |
Tran Van Tuy, captain of a fishing boat from Hon Ro, said that they are determined to work together.
“I’ve rounded up my crew from the previous year and now we’re ready to head out to sea. This year, the price of fuel is back to normal. The more the fishermen earn, the greater the chance they’ll be back for another season,” said Tuy.
On Tuesday, the 10th day of the lunar year, thousands of fishing boats in Quang Ngai province headed out to sea. Binh Chau commune sent 300 fishing boats, half of them of high capacity. They regularly fish the traditional fishing grounds of Hoang Sa and Truong Sa.
Phung Ba Vuong, Vice Chairman of Binh Chau commune’s People's Committee, said, “The commune’s People's Committee and the Vietnam Fisheries Trade Union encourage fishermen to keep fishing those two main fishing grounds to affirm the sovereignty of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The fishermen are urged to work with government forces to defend Vietnam's sea and island sovereignty.”
Quang Ngai has 4,500 fishing vessels, 3,200 of them engaged in offshore fishing. Quang Ngai’s support policies for fishermen encourage them to continue fishing in a sustainable manner.