Fish catches, aquaculture harvests rise
Fish catches, aquaculture harvests rise
The total fish catch in the country reached 496,900 tonnes in the first two months of the year, up 1.2 per cent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Marine fishing increased by 2.2 per cent to 473,900 tonnes while the inland catch declined by 14.8 per cent to 23,000 tonnes.
Many provinces and cities have reported good catches because of favourable weather and the appearance of large quantities of fish after Tet (Lunar New Year).
In the central region, fishermen reported bumper catches of many species like anchovy, creamfish, mackerel, yellowfin flying fish, and tuna.
In the south-central province of Ninh Thuan, Ca Na Fishing Port in Thuan Nam District has been busy as boats have been arriving filled with fish since Tet.
Than Thi Hoai An, owner of a fishing boat in Thuan Nam’s Ca Na Commune, said her boat caught around 200 baskets of anchovy -- of 16kg each -- on the first night of fishing after Tet.
It earned a profit of VND30 million (US$1,300) from the trip, she said.
Duong Van Tuyen of the Ca Na Fishing Port management said fishermen in Thuan Nam District have got bumper catches this year.
The port has been receiving 40-50 boats a day since February 19, he said.
Many boats have caught 200-300 baskets of anchovy a night, he said.
The weather was unfavourable for fishing before Tet and many boats could not go fishing, but it became favourable after the festival, he said.
In the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Bac Lieu, the ruoc (a species of small shrimp) catching season has begun and fishermen are earning high profits because of good catches.
In Bac Lieu City, fishing boats caught 100-300kg of ruoc each in just 2-3 hours.
Traders bought the shrimp at VND15,000–20,000 per kilogramme.
Nguyen Van Hai of Bac Lieu’s Nha Mat Ward said his boat earns a profit of VND4-5 million ($170 - 220) a day from ruoc.
The aquaculture harvest in the first two months has topped 551,000 tonnes, up 5.8 per cent year-on-year, according to the ministry.
The output of tra fish, black tiger shrimp and white-legged shrimp all increased.
The delta, the country’s largest tra producer, harvested 163,300 tonnes of the fish, up 8 per cent.
Its prices have reached record highs of VND28,000–29,500 a kilogramme because of booming exports.
The delta harvested 29,800 tonnes of black tiger shrimp, up 8.1 per cent.
