From the 4th day of Lunar New Year to now, Tinh Ky fishing village, Tinh Khe commune, Quang Ngai province has become bustling when the anchovy season enters. At dawn, trains of boats line up to dock, boats full of silvery white fish, sparkling under the early morning sun, filled with the joy of fishermen after a sleepless night at sea.
Thanks to favorable weather and catching schools of fish, many anchovy fishing boats continuously win big. Tinh Ky fishing port is bustling with boats entering and leaving, the sound of engines interspersed with calls for each other, creating a urgent and bustling working atmosphere.
Fisherman Dinh Van Thanh (Ly Son special zone) said that his boat has 14 crew members, departing at 3 pm daily, fishing in Quang Ngai waters. After a night of going offshore, early the next morning the boat docked with more than 8 tons of anchovies.
The price of fish at the port ranges from 21,000 - 25,000 VND/kg depending on the type, this trip brought in nearly 200 million VND. Good harvest and good prices, so the brothers are very excited. After deducting expenses, each person also earns a few million VND/day," Mr. Thanh shared.
According to fishermen, around 1 pm every day, the boat leaves the wharf, and the crew members stay up all night casting nets and pulling fish. In return for the hard working hours amidst the storms, when they have a big catch, each person can receive 3-5 million VND after a short sea trip. Sun-drenched faces also shine with joy.
Anchovies caught in the sea area of Quang Ngai are large in size, thick body, and firm flesh, so they are favored by the market. Right at the port, traders buy them and then transport them to steaming kilns in Tinh Khe commune to process into dried anchovies. Smaller fish are made into fish sauce and taken for consumption in the southern provinces.
To improve the value of resources from the Hoang Sa fishing grounds, many processing facilities in Tinh Khe have proactively invested in modern steaming, drying, and preservation systems, helping fish maintain their freshness for longer. Thanks to that, dried anchovies products are not only strongly consumed domestically but also exported to markets such as China, Malaysia, Russia... with a much higher value than selling fresh.
Not only fishermen benefit, many workers working as fish and ice loaders at the port also have stable incomes of 300,000 - 400,000 VND/day. Fishery logistics services such as ice grinding, gasoline and oil supply, transportation... are also bustling.
Currently, Tinh Khe commune has more than 15 dried anchovies production facilities, each facility provides jobs for 10 - 30 workers, mainly women and the elderly, with an income of 200,000 - 350,000 VND/day.
Mr. Ly Thanh Tung, owner of a fish steaming facility, said that his facility processes 3-4 tons of fish every day, with about 30 workers working continuously. "The fish just arrives at the port and is immediately steamed to maintain freshness. Products are consumed as soon as they are produced," Mr. Tung said.
The anchovy season is bringing "sea fortune" to Tinh Ky fishing village. From boat trips full of fish to hot stoves burning day and night, the rhythm of life in the sea area at the beginning of the new year is even more bustling and warmer.
