Phu Yen anchovies from small coastal villages reach out to the world
Phu Yen - Every year, when the rice fishing season comes, fishermen "all four" set their boats at sea, using nets to surround the coast to exploit "seaweed".
"Welcoming" fish right at sea
The first anchovies season of the year for fishermen in Phu Yen province starts from January and ends around the 4th lunar month. This year, the coastal waters are quite calm, the anchovies move little, creating favorable conditions for fishing vessels. Many ships use nets to catch coastal fish, and the selling price is high, so fishermen are excited to go out to sea every day.
Just returned from a night of fishing, fisherman Nguyen Van Son (An Phu commune, Tuy Hoa city) excitedly said: "This year's fish season is favorable, the sea is calm, there are many fish. I was with 5 people, arriving at the wharf early in the morning with 2-3 tons of fish".
After being classified, the anchovies are divided into baskets of 15-20kg to sell to traders. For short-term fishing vessels, fresh fish are bought by traders at the wharf for 160,000-200,000 VND/basket. After deducting costs, each fisherman can earn 1-2 million VND after a sea trip.
Anchovies appear commonly in areas about 2-5 nautical miles from shore. Each boat usually has 5-8 fishermen, the fishing time is from night to morning or morning to night. Anchovies are a fragrant, delicious fish, favored by the market, so many traders even use boats to buy them right at sea.
Mr. Nguyen Toan (An Hoa Hai commune, Tuy An district) - a trader specializing in purchasing anchovies - said that this type of fish is easy to consume, and in the early morning he has to go to the wharf to buy fish to get to shore. This year, the winning fish price ranges from 7,000-10,000 VND/kg.
Anchovies reach the international market
Not only selling fresh, anchovies are also sold to processing factories for drying, making fish sauce or export. Thanks to that, the value of the products is enhanced, creating more jobs and stable income for people in coastal areas.
At the processing workshop of Ms. Dinh Thi Bich Phuong (An Hoa Hai commune, Tuy An district), the atmosphere these days is more bustling than ever. Ms. Phuong shared: "My family has been in this profession for more than 20 years. The fish purchased from fishermen will be steamed, dried in the sun and then classified".
Hanh com fish - the smallest type - is sold to export companies at a price of 90,000-100,000 VND/kg. The bighead carp (middle type) and bighead carp will be steamed, dried to make dried fish or braised into fish sauce.
Selling 1-1.5 tons of dried anchovies every day, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nga (An Chan commune), owner of a processing facility, said: "Since January until now, the facility has been always busy. The anchovies in this area are delicious and have firm meat, so they are very popular in processing".
According to the report of Tuy An district, there are currently 7 large-scale dried anchovies processing facilities for export, mainly concentrated in An Chan and An Hoa Hai communes. Thanks to the abundant supply of fish, since the beginning of the year, the output of dried anchovies for export has reached more than 300 tons, an increase of 15% over the same period last year.
From fishing village to fish sauce brand
Taking advantage of the rich source of anchovies, many coastal villages in Phu Yen have formed famous traditional fish sauce craft villages such as My Quang (An Chan, Tuy An district), Long Thuy (An Phu, Tuy Hoa city), Ganh Do (Xuan Tho 2, Song Cau town) ... Many households have built their own brands, diversified products and had a foothold in the market.
At Hong Gia Phuc fish sauce establishment (An Phu commune, Tuy Hoa city), every day Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong sells about 300 liters of fish sauce: "Since the beginning of the season, I have bought about 70 tons of anchovies to braid with salt. The anchovies of Tuy Hoa and Tuy An have a special flavor, making delicious fish sauce, so they are favored by many customers".
According to Mr. Dao Quang Minh, Head of Phu Yen Fisheries Sub-Department, the weather is favorable, so fishermen along the coast of Tuy An, Song Cau, Dong Hoa and Tuy Hoa City are all in good fishing season. Most fishermen only need to go short-term fishing in large areas, and get to the wharf to sell immediately, so they can ensure fresh fish while saving costs. Thanks to that, dried fish processing and fish sauce making facilities have abundant raw materials, helping people in coastal areas earn more income, keeping the traditional craft village on fire.
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