Fishermen in the Southwest Sea face many difficulties

Going out to sea to fish is now more expensive, it is difficult to find fishermen, but the low fish yield is one of the many reasons why Southwest fishing boats are stuck on shore - Photo: BUU DAU

Fishing grounds depleted, costs rising

On January 3, fisherman Truong Van Vung, residing in U Minh district, Ca Mau province, said that he fishes for squid but in recent years fishing has been difficult, the cost is high but the aquatic resources are not much.

“Offshore, there are no more nets or rakes, and onshore, there are so many nets that no shrimp or fish can reproduce in time. If we protect the fishing grounds well and give shrimp and fish time to reproduce, then fishermen will be able to prosper,” Mr. Vung analyzed.

Many fishermen at the Song Doc estuary complained about rising costs, from fuel prices to the prices of essential goods for their trips. The cost increased to more than 50 million VND for a 30-day trip.

The family of Mr. Le Van Tien, residing in Song Doc town, Tran Van Thoi district, Ca Mau province, said that he has 3 offshore fishing boats that are at risk of being stranded.

Because of difficulties in finding fishing partners and increased costs, the price of fishing products has to be lowered, and fishermen suffer losses. Previously, the average price of fish was about 20,000-21,000 VND/kg, but now it is only about 18,000-19,000 VND/kg.

“Previously, the cost of going to sea was about 200 million VND/trip, but now the price of gasoline is high, food and necessities have increased, so the cost of going to sea has increased to about 250 million VND/trip. While fishing is not as much as before, some fishermen have also quit their jobs,” Mr. Tien lamented.

Mr. Tran Minh Tri, a ship owner in Rach Gia City, Kien Giang Province, shared that he has 4 pairs of fishing boats, but in 2024, seafood has decreased sharply, about 20-30% compared to the previous year. His family goes to sea and returns once every 2-3 months. In 2024, most fishing boat owners do not make a profit.

“In the new year 2025, I just hope that oil prices will drop further so that fishermen can make a profit. Now, each trip to sea costs more than 4 billion VND/pair of boats (including fuel, advance payments to fishermen and food costs). However, seafood production has decreased sharply, so everyone is having a hard time. It is especially difficult to find people to go to sea,” said Mr. Tri.

Hard to find fishermen to go to sea

In Ca Mau, the number of workers on fishing boats has recently decreased sharply, many boats do not have enough crew to go out to sea or are forced to reduce their fishing scale. Coastal districts such as Ngoc Hien, Nam Can, and Dam Doi all recorded a labor shortage of 20-30% compared to actual demand.

The main reason why workers quit the seafaring profession is due to harsh working conditions, many dangers from storms, work accidents, unstable income... Their income used to be 5-10 million VND/person, but now it is about 1-3 million VND/person/month, not enough to cover their living expenses.

To Van Chien, a fisherman in Ngoc Hien district, Ca Mau province, said finding crewmates is becoming increasingly difficult. In the past, it only took a few calls to get enough people to join, but now it takes days, even weeks, to find enough people.

Tac Cau fishing port, Kien Giang province buys and sells fish on the first day of the new year 2025 - Photo: BUU DAU

Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Ngo Van Lam - Head of the Tac Cau Fishing Port Management Board under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kien Giang province - said that the key fishing grounds of the people have decreased and are not being exploited effectively. Because they are afraid that if they bring their boats to shore, the fishermen will leave, no longer use the boats, but switch to other industries. In the past two years, over 90% of boat owners have sold fish at sea.

“In the past, the owner was the owner, but now the captain is the owner. The captain wants to sell fish at sea, can control the sales volume, and gets a share of the money.

The captains directly sell the fish and then report to the owner to divide the cash. The current output of fish entering the port has decreased by nearly 1,800 tons compared to 2023 because many ships are on shore," said Mr. Lam.

Due to depleted fishing grounds, some fishing boats in Ca Mau have to stay inshore more than at sea – Photo: THANH HUYEN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ngu-dan-vung-bien-tay-nam-gap-kho-du-duong-20250103104630692.htm