Nguyen Tien Hung, 57, a fisherman in Tam Quang commune in Nui Thanh district in Quang Nam, was seen recently preparing rice vermicelli to deliver to customers.

“I don’t go fishing anymore. I have to help my wife to sell vermicelli. I will take any job I can,” Hung said.

The man, who has been going to the open sea for 33 years, could not imagine that there would be a day when he had to stop for so long.

“The prices are escalating so dramatically. Fortunately, we still can work and have income, though it is modest,” he said.

However, Hung doesn’t want to give up his career. “I will go to the sea again when I have opportunity to do this. The sea is in my blood,” he said.

Do Thanh Phong, 44, in Tam Quang commune, like other fishermen in the locality, has had to take any job to survive in this difficult period.

In the past, when everything went smoothly, Phong could earn VND8 million a month. Now, as he is not gong to sea, he has to do many different jobs to earn a living, including carrying ice to boats. 

Threat of hunger 

The Nghia An commune People’s Committee in Quang Ngai City estimates there are 350 boat owners in the locality and 80 percent owe money to banks, about VND4-5 billion each. The total amount of money they owe  is VND1 trillion.

Pham Thi Cong, chair of Nghia An People’s Committee, confirmed that many locals have been deep in debt and have had to sell houses and fishing boats.

“We feel sorry for them, but what we can do is only ask higher authorities to help the fishermen,” Cong said.

Asked about the big amount of money owed to banks, Cong said since before 2016, the sea-borne economy in the commune had developed rapidly and many fishing boat owners could earn VND1-2 billion a year.

The high profits prompted locals to mortgage their assets and houses to borrow money from banks to buy fishing boats. As the number of boats soared, the commune lacked workers, and aquatic resources were exhausted. Meanwhile, some fishermen use boats with Chinese engines that consume a lot of fuel, so they have incurred losses amid the fuel price increases.

According to Cong, at first, commercial banks created favorable conditions for fishermen to get loans, so it was easy to get capital. However, the golden days are over. As fishing becomes stagnant, hundreds of families have been seriously affected.

“We have proposed that the Quang Ngai Party Committee and People’s Committee work with banks and ask them to extend the debt payment deadline for households who cannot pay debt, so as to help them exist in the current period,” she said.

In Tam Quang commune in Nui Thanh district in Quang Nam, according to commune chair Huynh Thi My Dung, 2,000 workers live by fishing with 370 fishing boats, including 197 offshore fishing boats.

“The fuel price hikes have dealt a strong blow, especially to offshore fishing boats. It is estimated that 40 boats are now idle because the fishing output is not high enough to cover expenses. This has affected 400 workers,” Dung said.

“Many fishermen have shifted to working as porters at the port, or just fish near the shore,” she explained, adding that local authorities have been asked to help them with fuel or other jobs.

Head of the Quang Nam Aquaculture Sub-department Vo Van Long said the agency is still waiting for information about support from the ministry.

“In late June, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) proposed  support worth one-month salary to seafarers staying ashore. We are seeking fishing grounds with promising output and driving fishermen to the areas,” Long said.

The vice chair of Son Tra district, Huynh Van Hung, said in order to help fishermen cling to the sea and continue their fishing activities, the district has proposed support, including hull insurance policy; three solar battery rigs, one set of LED lighting equipment; and 800 plastic seafood trays for 20 fishing boats. Local authorities have also asked to support fishermen whose fishing boats have been in accidents, totaling VND345 million.

In Nghe An, agencies are planning to ask provincial authorities to give financial support of VND30 billion to help fishermen go back to the sea.

Cong Sang