Tuna Fishermen Adjust Fishing Technique To Save Fuel ff

Tuna trawlers in the central province of Binh Dinh have struck upon a novel idea in the last few months – they depend on informers.

With oil prices remaining high, the trawlers could end up with huge losses if they wander the high seas without making a catch.

So, many of them now wait until they get word from smaller fishing boats about the sighting of a tuna school.

Tuna often shoal close to floating branches and twigs washed out to sea from forests on shore.

The small boats themselves fish for them using lines or small nets off the coast of provinces like Quang Ngai, Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen before informing a friendly trawler by radio.

But the communication must be kept secret so that other trawlers closer to the shoal do not get there first, Tran Nguyen, a captain from Quy Nhon Town in Binh Dinh Province, said.

“Even though you are the one informed, the rule is the early bird catches the worm.” However, this is not the only problem, he said. Sometimes, after traveling 300 nautical miles, a trawler will discover there is no tuna beneath the flotsam, he said. It is, therefore, imperative to tell the informer to check carefully, he added.

Once the presence of a shoal is confirmed, the fishers can set off for the spot, he said, adding burning fuel for just five days for a boatload of tuna is a good bargain.

The finder gets around 25 percent of the value of the catch, or VND20-60 million ($1,200 – 3,600).

“We have to maintain good relations with those spotters because it is hard to make money without them,” Nguyen said.

Le Quang Nghia, a ship owner, said at times informers help him earn VND200 million ($12,000) in just three days.

But it is also easy to lose money even after spotting a shoal.

Tran Kha, another captain from Quy Nhon, explained that the fishermen had to be experts on the sea and the fish’s habits to catch them.

Sometimes, they have to get into the water for hours to keep watch on the shoal because it is only possible to catch the fish at 4 a.m., he said. During the period before sunrise, the fish are off-guard, he said.

With oil prices remaining high, tuna trawlers in Phu Yen and other central coastal provinces now have to hinge on smaller fishing boats about the sighting of a tuna school to avert huge losses.

Source: Lao Dong