The total fish catch reached 496,900 tonnes in the first two months of the year, up 1.2 per cent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Marine fishing increased by 2.2 per cent to 473,900 tonnes while the inland catch declined by 14.8 per cent to 23,000 tonnes. Many provinces and cities have reported good catches because of favourable weather and the appearance of large quantities of fish after Tết (Lunar New Year).
In the central region, fishermen reported bumper catches of many species like anchovy, creamfish, mackerel, yellowfin flying fish, and tuna. In the south-central province of Ninh Thuận, Cà Ná Fishing Port in Thuận Nam District has been busy as boats have been arriving filled with fish since Tết.
In the Mekong Delta province of Bạc Liêu, the ruốc (a species of Sergestidae) catching season has begun and fishermen are earning high profits because of good catches. In Bạc Liêu City, fishing boats caught 100-300kg of ruốc each in just 2 – 3 hours. Traders bought the shrimp at VNĐ15,000 – 20,000 per kilogramme.
The output of pangasius, black tiger shrimp and white-legged shrimp all increased. The delta, the country’s largest pangasius producer, harvested 163,300 tonnes of the fish, up 8 per cent. Its prices have reached record highs of VNĐ28,000–29,500 a kilogramme because of booming exports. The delta harvested 29,800 tonnes of black tiger shrimp, up 8.1 per cent.
VFM
