Fishermen take a basket boat to reach their fishing vessel before leaving Hòn Rớ Sea Port to go fishing over Tết in the central coastal province of Khánh Hoà. — VNA/VNS Photo Phạm Cường

KHÁNH HOÀ — Many fishermen in the central coastal province of Khánh Hoà have registered to go fishing over Tết (Lunar New Year) holidays, and are looking forward to a bountiful sea voyage.

Nguyễn Tấn Lầu, a fisherman who has 38 years of experience, said his fishing vessel KH 96778 TS leaving for Hòn Rớ Sea Port was his first fishing trip to the sea after the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lầu said: “What I and other fishermen want the most is that the 20-day fishing trip over Tết brings us a boat full of fish, especially tuna, shrimp and squid.”

"It will be the first joy of the new year for me and the motivation for the next fishing trips of the year," he said.

Trần Bé, owner of the fishing vessel KH 93878 TS, said these days, fish and shrimps often followed ocean gyres to our sea, so it was very easy to catch them.

Trần Ngọc Ninh, captain of fishing vessel KH 90668 TS, said his ship was expected to dock at the port on February 12, full of fish and shrimps.

“If we are lucky to meet the fish sooner, we will come back to the port before February 12,” he said.

Ninh said if they caught many fish and shrimps, they could sell them for a higher price than normal after they return.

"We only made three fishing trips during last year due to the pandemic,” he said.

"Therefore, we try to go fishing over Tết to earn some money," he said.

At present, it costs VNĐ150,000 (US$6.6) per kilo of tuna.

"If we catch many tuna, we will earn money to cover losses that we suffered because we could not go fishing due to the pandemic last year," he said.

A fisherman flies the national flag on his fishing vessel before leaving Hòn Rớ Sea Port to go fishing over Tết in the central coastal province of Khánh Hoà. — VNA/VNS Photo Phạm Cường

Sea is home

Bé said: “For a fisherman, the sea is home, so, there is nothing better than a fisherman celebrating Tết at home.”

"Celebrating Tết at sea, we can still hear the New Year's greetings from Vietnamese President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc through FM radio," he said.

“We have jams and flowers on the first day of the Lunar New Year,” he said.

Bé and other fishermen wished each other a peaceful new year on the first day of the Lunar New Year on their boat.

He said he and other fishermen would continue to strictly comply with regulations on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

"We wish that the Party and State will have more policies to support fishermen such as increasing the support of oil, installation and operating costs of equipment to monitor fishing vessels in this year," he said.

Lầu said: “Going fishing at sea during Tết is always very special for fishermen, especially, because of the special presence of the Vietnamese national flag.”

Statistics of the province’s Fisheries Division, show that the province has more than 740 offshore fishing vessels; including nearly 200 vessels specialising in catching tuna.

126 fishing vessels are registering to go to the sea to catch tuna over Tết, an increase of 26 fishing vessels compared to the same period last year.

Nguyễn Trọng Chánh, director of the division, said that the division and local businesses had presented many Tết gifts, life jackets and national flags to fishing vessels that registered to go fishing over Tết.

Chánh said: “I wish the fishermen having a successful fishing trip with their boats full of fish and shrimps.”

The division also told the fishermen to strictly comply with regulations on going fishing at sea. Authorised agencies are tasked to arrange staff to be on duty on Tết to support fishermen in emergencies.

Lê Bá Ninh, deputy head of the province’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department, said the province had not recorded any cases of fishing vessels violating foreign waters since October 2018.

Along with supporting fishermen with equipment to develop modern fisheries to improve the efficiency of their voyages, thereby increasing incomes, the department also creates favourable conditions for local enterprises purchasing and processing tuna for export, according to Ninh.

"I hope that local fishermen will have a smooth fishing trip, and comply with regulations on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing,” he said. — VNS