The fishing industry in the central provinces has recently had trouble recruiting fishermen.
Captain Tran Tien Hong hoping to man fishing expedition
Ho Van Anh, captain of a squid fishing boat dock in Da Nang City, is still trying to find enough shipmates to begin fishing soon. He has already decided to reduce the number of the crew to 23 instead of the usual 35 to 40. But even the lowered quota has proven hard to reach.
Reducing the number of crew means his trip will have to be shorter and will not be able to cover certain waters.
"My crew were mostly my acquaintances from Binh Minh Commune. However, they have lost enthusiasm for the job. I am also having problems finding anyone in Da Nang," he said.
Another fisherman, Tran Tien Hong, is also in a hurry to find 35 crew mates for a one-month trip. So far he has only found 28.
Hong said that his ship has never been able to work at full capacity. "It was a shame when we discovered areas of the ocean with huge amount of squid, but lacked the manpower we needed to take advantage of it," he said.
One of the only squid fishing ships that has managed to recruit a full crew is owned by Tran Van Muoi. "My shipmates mostly live in Binh Minh Commune. I had to personally go to each one's house to persuade them. We'll head for Paracel Island on February 25," he said.
Other fishing firms said that even though they only need 10-12 crew, they were also unable to find the numbers they needed. They are in fierce competition to retain employees they already have.
According to Thanh Khe District authorities, only three out of 50 fishing ships have been able to set sail so far.
Dang Phuoc Tuan, Deputy Head of the Economic Division in Thanh Khe said, "People are waiting to start their expeditions until after the prayer ceremony for good fishing harvest. While some claim that owners are waiting until after this day to hit the seas out of superstition, most believe that they are waiting around to find more people to man the boats."
He added that the ages of fishermen is getting higher. Each ship has only two or three fishermen with age under 23. "The unstable income, along with the dangers of the job, have scared many people away from this work. I hope the government will come up with policies that will encourage people to want to fish again."
Luong Huu Truc, Head of Thanh Khe Economic Division, said another reason for the drop in numbers of young fishermen have been their older relatives warning them off this career path.
