According to fishermen in An Phu commune, boats docking at Nghia An floating market usually only have 2-4 workers, mostly elderly fishermen. The healthy young generation today has mainly switched to offshore fishing, so near-shore trips are mostly undertaken by middle-aged and elderly people.
After each offshore trip, fishermen's income depends on the seafood caught. Some days the sea is generous, each boat earns 5 - 8 million VND; some days the output is small, the revenue is only about 3 - 4 million VND.
Fisherman Nguyen Ban, residing in An Phu commune, said that the boats docking at Nghia An floating market are all small capacity boats, from 55 - 75CV, specializing in near-shore fishing in the sea area from the special zone of Ly Son inwards. Every day, the boat usually leaves the port at about 1 pm - 2 pm and returns at 4 - 5 am the next morning, carrying batches of fish, shrimp, squid, crabs... just brought from the sea to shore to sell right at the floating market.
Ms. Tran Thi Ai Kieu, residing in Nghia Lo ward, Quang Ngai province, said that seafood at Nghia An floating market is always fresh because it has just been brought ashore by fishermen from the sea. Not only diverse in types, the selling price here is also softer than many markets in the central area of the province.
My house is nearly 25 km from Nghia An floating market, but every weekend I drive here to buy seafood. Fish, shrimp, squid, crabs... are all still very fresh, the prices are reasonable, so going a little further is also worth it," Ms. Kieu shared.
