Despite the good news from the latest report on the safety of seafood in the central region by the Ministry of Health, fishermen in Quang Tri province are still worried about the warning against deep sea fishing.

Duong Duc Phuong in Gio Linh District is repairing his boat to return to the sea

Five months after the mass fish deaths caused by the waste water discharge from the Formosa Company in Ha Tinh Province along the coast of four central provinces, the Ministry of Health on September 20 issued a report which instructed the public to avoid eating fish caught from the seabed and within 20 nautical miles off the coast.

It is only safe to eat fish caught from mid-water or from aquatic farms, the report concluded.

Although the report may provide positive news in terms of seafood consumption and sales at local markets, and more fishermen are preparing to return to the sea, many have still expressed concerns over the vague information in the ministry's warning.

According to local fishermen, it is very difficult to exactly tell which fish live within 20 nautical miles off the coast as they do not stay at one place but keep moving.

At Gio Linh District, some fishermen have started preparing for new fishing trips after months lying idle since the disaster.

"Our boat has been left idle for many months now and we have faced many difficulties making ends meet," said fisherman Duong Duc Phuong. "After hearing about the latest report from the Ministry of Health, I decided to return to our traditional work which our family has been doing for generations.

Phuong is eager repairing his boat and nets, saying that he and many fishermen here have been waiting for the news, and were now very happy that they could return to the sea again to earn a living.

“We had expected a clearer report, but with this we see that the sea is improving gradually and we can hope that things will return to normal soon," Phuong added. "Now we'll only catch fish from mid-water and outside 20 nautical miles off the coast following warning from the ministry.”

Cua Tung Port in Vinh Linh District has become more busy with several fishing boats returning from the sea.

Fisherman Nguyen Van Tham showed some 200 kilos of scad and herring which they caught on their first trip after five months.

"We are going on one-day trip now and fishing some 20 nautical miles off the coast," Tham said. "Although the prices are still very low, at VND10,000-15,000  a kilo, and we're earning just VND100,000-150,000 (USD4.50-6.73) a day, we still have to go. We have no other jobs. We just hope that the prices will go up soon when more people return to our seafood."

However, Phan Thi Tu, a wholesale trader in Cua Tung Town said that sales have not improved much after the new report.

"People are still very cautious about eating seafood so we're still facing many difficulties," Tu said. "I think that the report is not so convincing."

The trader also said that the news had not brought many changes to the trading.

"Most of our profits come from those caught from the seabed because they have much more value than those from the mid-water," she explained.

Dtinews