'Each tuna fishing trip used to have 6-10 people per boat, but now there are so few people going to sea that each trip only has four fishermen,' Mr. My shared.
Many fishing boats at Dong Tac fishing port (Tuy Hoa city, Phu Yen) are waiting on shore to recruit enough crew members to go to sea - Photo: MINH CHIEN
On March 12, different from the bustling scene at Dong Tac fishing port (Phu Dong ward, Tuy Hoa city, Phu Yen) when a number of tuna fishing boats docked, many offshore fishing boat owners looked worried because they could not find crew members to go out to sea even though it was the peak of the offshore fishing season.
Mr. Dang Ngoc My (65 years old, captain of fishing boat PY-90072TS) said that on the last trip his boat entered port with 50 tuna, sold for 100,000 VND/kg, after deducting expenses, the four crew members each received 8 million VND.
According to Mr. My, there are not many fishermen in Phu Dong ward, while the offshore fishing fleet is large, so he had to call on fellow fishermen in Tuy An district or from Phu Lac fishing port (Dong Hoa town) to join.
"Before, there were 6-10 people working, now there are only four people, and the work is also more. In addition to tuna fishing, there is also the task of loading and unloading fish in the ice cellar, which takes a lot of effort. For example, as a captain, my only task before was to steer the ship, now I have to participate in arranging fish, repairing the ship...", Mr. My complained.
The scarcity of seafarers, according to Mr. My, is because people choose to go to industrial zones or find other, lighter, safer jobs.
"The number of young people going to sea is decreasing because families do not have many children. Most of the younger generation has received formal education, so after finishing high school they go to university or college. The seafaring profession requires good health and is hard work, so not many people participate," said Mr. My.
Meanwhile, Mr. Tran Nhu - owner of fishing boat PY-90007TS - said that on the last trip the boat caught five tuna so it suffered a loss, and the payment to the crew was also postponed to the next trip.
"When going to sea, if we catch a lot of fish, we have money to share with our crew. If we catch a little, we don't have enough money to pay, and we don't even have enough money to cover fuel. But before going to sea, I also give my crewmates money in advance so they can give it to their wives and children to spend, then when we go to sea, we deduct it from the advance," said Mr. Nhu.
According to Mr. Nhu, a few years ago, when arriving at the port, one could immediately find a fellow boatman, but now it is very difficult to find one. Fishermen have to pay in advance before they will go with them. Some people even take the advance and run away or do not go to work.
"Because they are just fellow fishermen, they do not work for one fishing boat permanently. If the owner of the boat pays more or they have a good relationship, they will immediately switch to another boat. Many fishing boats have to postpone their departure or even stay ashore due to difficulty finding crew members," said Mr. Nhu.
Mr. Dao Quang Minh - Head of Phu Yen Fisheries Department - said that the decrease in aquatic resources has led to low fishing efficiency for each trip, reduced income for fishermen, causing fishermen to quit their jobs, causing a shortage of marine labor.
Furthermore, fishermen work seasonally, without contracts or insurance... so they do not work permanently for a fishing boat.
"It is necessary to provide professional training for sea workers, and there should be policies to create stable income to attract and retain workers.
Along with that, there should also be financial support policies, reducing loan interest rates so that fishermen can invest in modern equipment to help reduce labor and increase production efficiency. In addition, it is necessary to encourage young workers to participate in high-quality marine jobs... to overcome the difficulty of labor shortage," said Mr. Minh.
According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Binh Dinh province, by the end of 2024, the whole province will have over 3,200 fishing boats (15m or longer in length) and need more than 30,000 offshore workers. However, due to a shortage of seafaring workers, many fishing boats go to sea with only 4-5 crew members.
Mr. Dao Xuan Thien - Director of Binh Dinh Fishing Port Management Board - said that the shortage of sea labor forces ship owners to spend a lot of money to hire crew members, even having to go to other provinces to hire unskilled and inexperienced workers, so they face many risks.
"During the seafood exploitation season, some industries have regulations on a fixed number of crew members to go to sea, so many ship owners have to try to recruit enough crew members. The number of ships is large but the number of fishermen is too small, so it is difficult to meet the demand," said Mr. Thien.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thanh-nien-vao-khu-cong-nghiep-tau-xa-bo-phai-nam-bo-20250313013531336.htm
Comment (0)