Fishing boats dock at Lạch Bạng Port near Hải Bình Village. — VNA/VNS Photo

THANH HÓA — Hải Bình Village in Nghi Sơn Town, central Thanh Hóa Province has developed from a small fishing village into a fast-growing area with seafood production, processing and consumption chains, bringing high economic values to local fishermen.

Before 2000, Hải Bình Commune (now Hải Bình Ward) was an isolated peninsula. Local people had to take boats to reach neighbouring areas.

The fishing village has Lạch Bạng Port connected with the Gulf of Tonkin, a gateway for trading activities.

Trần Văn Sơn, chairman of the Hải Bình Ward People’s Committee, said local authorities aim to develop a chain of fishery production, processing and consumption, which involves a symbiotic relationship between aquaculture and services.

To create that connection, local authorities have offered assistance to encourage fishermen to invest in fishing boats with higher capacity and to use technology to improve fishing capacity.

Thanks to the Government’s assistance package of VNĐ16 trillion (US$695 million) for offshore fishing and credit funds, fishermen in the ward have built 45 fishing boats with high capacity.

Fishing output has now increased to 2,700 tonnes per year, which was only a dream of many fishermen just five years ago.

Fishermen have also joined a fishing group to improve their efficiency.

Since joining the group, local fisherman Nguyễn Văn Hiến has been able to save up to 30 per cent of his operating expenses.

He owns a 400CV fishing boat and previously had to spend VNĐ100 million ($4,400) for machine oil each time the boat went fishing offshore.

The group came up with an initiative to help local fishermen save time and money by sending one boat to explore a fishing ground first and then sending information back to shore so that other boats are ready to go.

As of April 2020, the ward has had 115 fishing boats, 55 more than in 2015.

Along with the development of fishing activities, the boat building and repairing industry has also grown. The annual production value reaches VNĐ48 billion ($2 million) on average.

As fishermen enjoy bumper fishing seasons, other services have also mushroomed.

Fish processing centres offer jobs to more than 1,500 labourers each year with an output of 26,000 tonnes per year.

Hải Bình Ward also has 415 trading and service businesses with thousands of labourers employed.

A lot of seafood companies such as Long Hải, Sông Việt, Ngọc Sơn have enhanced their reputation and exported their products.

The fish sauce industry of the fishing village now produces 1 million litres per year. — VNS