In the early days of the new year 2026, Quy Nhon fishing port (Gia Lai) became bustling when hundreds of fishing boats lined up to dock after long offshore trips. The ship compartment was full of fish, under the wharf traders were waiting, heavy-handed fish tanks that had just been brought ashore were quickly purchased, making the whole port bustling from early morning.
In the early morning chill, fishermen urgently dug tunnels, thawed ice, and brought tons of watermelon rays, mackerel, lizardfish... ashore.
Soaking in the freezing cold tunnel, people are soaked in melting ice, but everyone is excited after a fishing trip. For fishermen, each catch of fish ashore is the result of labor accumulated from the days of drifting at sea, a source of income to continue sticking to the profession.
Fisherman Truong Van Thanh (47 years old, residing in Quy Nhon ward), owner of fishing vessel BD91015TS, said that after more than half a month of casting nets, his vessel has exploited over 20 tons of watermelon rays and lizardfish. The sea trip is short but convenient, each crew member has an income of 5 to 7 million VND.
After 2 months of sticking to the Truong Sa fishing grounds, fishing boat BD98186TS of fisherman Nguyen Thi (64 years old, residing in Hoai Nhon Dong ward) and 15 crew members returned to shore with about 70 tons of watermelon rays and tuna. "The sea is stable, the fish are even, so everyone is excited," Mr. Thi shared.
At the same time, two fishing boats of fisherman Nguyen Van Thuong (Hoai Nhon ward) docked at the port with a hold of about 60 tons of tuna of all kinds. With an average selling price of about 29,000 VND/kg, his boat's sea trip earned nearly 1.7 billion VND.
According to fishermen, the price of watermelon tuna and lizard tuna currently ranges from 28,000 to 30,000 VND/kg. After deducting fuel, ice and logistics costs, crew members still have a fairly good income, enough to cover living expenses and prepare for the next sea trip.
According to the Gia Lai Provincial Fishing Port Management Board, in the first 2 days of the new year, the port recorded more than 100 fishing boats docking, with a total seafood output of over 265 tons.
Gia Lai province currently has more than 5,700 registered fishing vessels, 100% updated on the VNFishbase system. In 2025, seafood exploitation output is estimated at more than 287,000 tons, equal to 98% of the annual plan, an increase of 2.1% compared to the same period in 2024.
