Fishermen in Nghe An province strike it rich with mackerel.

Fishermen transfer fish from the boat to shore. Photo: Thanh Thuy

After nine days at sea, the fishing boat of fisherman Nguyen Van Phan, owner of the vessel ND-92918, docked with 1.5 tons of mackerel. He said that fishermen catch mackerel year-round, but the peak season with high yields only lasts for a few months at the end of the year. Currently, the fishing season is underway, so many vessels are taking advantage of favorable weather to head out to sea.

Fisherman Nguyen Van Phan's boat, with six crew members, spotted a school of mackerel using a sonar, cast its nets, and caught a large haul. The spacious and convenient Quynh Phuong fishing port, along with high purchase prices, led his boat to decide to dock there. This trip yielded a profit of over 250 million VND, with each crew member receiving 30 million VND.

Fish are selected and purchased by seafood buyers right on the dock. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Not far away, fisherman Ho Van Trung from Quynh Phuong ward was busily passing fresh mackerel from the boat's hold to the shore. He excitedly shared that he had been at sea for 8 days, fishing in the Gulf of Tonkin. The weather was favorable, and they hit a large school of mackerel, so the boat owner gave him 15 million dong, providing him with extra income to support his family.

In the Quỳnh Phương ward of Hoàng Mai town, there are two large fishing vessels specializing in mackerel fishing: those owned by Mr. Nguyễn Văn Phương and Mr. Hoàng Văn Việt. On their last trip, Mr. Phương's vessel caught nearly 4 tons of mackerel, earning over 700 million VND; Mr. Việt's vessel earned nearly 180 million VND.

Small traders transport fish to sell at markets. Photo: Thanh Thuy

According to observations in the area, from dawn, dozens of large fishing vessels from Nghe An , Nam Dinh, and Quang Tri provinces were anchored, waiting to unload their catch. The holds were overflowing with mackerel and other valuable seafood. On shore, traders were waiting to purchase the freshest catches. The atmosphere was bustling, with most boats starting sales between 2 and 3 a.m. On average, after a 7-10 day fishing trip, each vessel docked and sold 1-3 tons of mackerel to the fish wholesalers.

Boxes full of fresh mackerel. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Ms. Phan Thi Xuyen, owner of a seafood purchasing depot in Quynh Phuong ward, said: "In the past few days, many fishing boats have returned, sometimes up to 20 boats a day. On slow days, I buy 7-10 tons of mackerel, on busy days up to 20 tons. At this time, the price of mackerel hasn't reached its peak yet, but the high yield compensates for it. The last trip before Tet will see a decrease in yield, at which point the price could reach 230,000-250,000 VND/kg."

Mackerel is divided into several grades; grade 1 is priced at 175,000 VND/kg, while grade 2 is priced from 165,000 VND/kg. At current prices, each vessel selling fish to wholesalers earns between 200,000 and 250 million VND.

Grade 1 mackerel is priced at 175,000 VND/kg at the port. Photo: Thanh Thuy

According to fishermen, it is currently peak season for mackerel, and the sea is calm, so boats are taking advantage of the opportunity to go out to sea to fish in order to sell in time for Tet (Lunar New Year), when prices will be higher. Fishermen are having a good season, and services at the port are also experiencing increased work and income. On average, in the past few days, wholesalers at Quynh Phuong fishing port have purchased between 10 and 15 tons of fish, mainly mackerel. Most of the fish is stored in cold storage for sale during the Lunar New Year, with a small amount sold retail to markets inside and outside the province.

Besides mackerel, fishermen's boats also catch many other valuable seafood species such as grouper, snapper, squid, and pomfret... After successful fishing trips with good prices, local fishermen are busy preparing their fishing gear to expand their fishing grounds. The next fishing trip will last until around December 20-23 (lunar calendar), after which the boats will return to rest for the Lunar New Year.

The fish market is bustling in the early morning. Photo: Thanh Thuy

Mr. Ho Xuan Huong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Phuong Ward, assessed: " The local offshore fisheries production has increased significantly in the last months of the year. In recent days, fishermen have had consecutive successful catches of mackerel and many other valuable fish species, with relatively high selling prices. This is a golden time for fishermen to catch fish, contributing to economic development and enriching their families and society. In addition, Quynh Phuong port is also a docking point for many ships from other provinces, so the volume of purchased fish is large."

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