Fishermen unite and help each other

Pho Quang Ward (Duc Pho Town) has more than 400 fishing boats, of which more than 250 are specialized in offshore fishing. Compared to other localities in the province, the number of fishing boats in Pho Quang Ward is smaller. However, this is a locality with relatively effective fishing activities and is on the rise.

Fishing boats of Duc Pho town fishermen go out to sea.

Over the years, the Pho Quang purse seine solidarity group has become a bright spot of solidarity and mutual support for development among coastal fishermen. The group has 12 vessels specializing in purse seine and gillnet fishing. After each fishing trip, each vessel contributes an average of 200,000 VND to the fund, and for profitable fishing trips, they can contribute more. Thanks to that, after nearly 10 years of establishment, the group's fund has grown larger and larger, at times reaching hundreds of millions of VND. The group has agreed to use this fund to take care of the funeral and charity work of the group's brothers and the fishermen; or to support capital for group members to purchase fishing gear and repair boats in difficult times.

The Pho Quang purse seine solidarity group has established a convention that, during the fishing process, if any of the 12 vessels in the group encounters an accident, the group will send another vessel responsible for towing the distressed vessel to shore. “We will determine which vessel is closest to the location of the distressed vessel and that vessel will be responsible for towing it to shore. The group will use the fund to pay for the cost of the tugboat to tow the distressed vessel to shore. In addition, the remaining 10 vessels will add up the amount of fish caught during the time the other two vessels reached shore and divide it equally among the 12 vessels. This method has helped us become more united and the distressed vessel will soon overcome difficulties and not lose capital after the trip,” said fisherman Ngo Thanh Phong, head of the Pho Quang purse seine solidarity group.

In addition to supporting its members, the Pho Quang Purse Solidarity Group also helps other fishermen in the fishing village when they encounter difficulties and hardships. Fisherman Nguyen Van Lam, in Pho Quang ward, said, “Although I am not a member of the group, in 2023, when the group saw that I was in trouble, they lent me 30 million VND to buy more fishing gear. For my family at that time, this amount of money was very meaningful, helping me overcome immediate difficulties, have the conditions to go offshore, and increase my income.”

The province has more than 5,000 fishing vessels registered to participate in marine exploitation, of which 3,051 are 15m or longer. To date, more than 300 solidarity groups and teams have been formed in the province, with about 2,000 fishing vessels participating. Not only supporting each other in the process of marine exploitation, the solidarity groups at sea also actively participate in activities against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The development of solidarity groups at sea creates a solid "position" in marine exploitation and contributes to protecting the sacred sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland.

Fishermen complete procedures at Sa Ky Border Control Station (Quang Ngai City) before going to sea.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Binh Chau Commune (Binh Son) Do Quoc Dung said that the solidarity groups at sea in Binh Chau are considered "living milestones" contributing to protecting the sovereignty of the sea and islands of the Fatherland. The highlight of the groups is that they bring high efficiency in propagating and mobilizing fishermen to comply with the law and exploit seafood legally. The solidarity groups at sea also organize reasonable production, reduce costs for fishing boats, and contribute to rescue and relief whenever fishing boats or fishermen are in distress at sea.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Fisheries and Seas and Islands of the province, Ta Ngoc Thi, thanks to the effective promotion of the role of solidarity groups in exploiting seafood at sea, the productivity and output of caught seafood have increased, raising the income of fishermen, creating a good effect in complying with regulations against IUU fishing. In the coming time, the Department of Fisheries and Seas and Islands of the province will continue to coordinate with localities to expand the solidarity groups in production at sea. At the same time, coordinate with the border guards and local authorities to promote propaganda and organize ship owners and captains to sign a commitment to comply with regulations in exploiting seafood.

Article and photos: HONG HOA

Source: https://baoquangngai.vn/kinh-te/bien-kinh-te-bien/202504/ngu-dan-doan-ket-tuong-tro-nhau-4251697/