Along the coastal areas of Ha Long City, groups of anglers gathering to fish is a common sight these days.
Both professional and amateur anglers are flocking to fish and sell their catch for income.
Lucky anglers can catch tens of pounds of fish daily, while others still manage to bring home a few pounds.
Storm YAGI devastated most of the offshore fish farms, releasing thousands of tons of fish, such as grouper, sea bass, and chim fish, into the sea.
“Since these are farmed fish, they will struggle to find natural food sources once they escape from the cages. Additionally, the heavy rains diluted the seawater, causing a shock to the fish. This is an ideal time for fishing; all you need to do is choose a suitable location, cast your bait, and wait for the fish to bite,” said Hoang, an angler from the Tuan Chau beach area.
Usually, grouper sells for about 250,000 VND/kg, but anglers are selling their catch to fishermen for just over 100,000 VND/kg to support them in continuing their farming efforts and recovering some capital after the storm damage.
“At first, we fished for our own consumption, but as the catch increased, we decided to sell it back to the offshore fish farmers at a low price to help them recover economically. We could easily sell it for over 200,000 VND/kg at the market, but seeing the massive losses of the fishermen, many anglers even returned their catch to the cage owners,” said Ha, a professional angler from Ha Long.
Most of the fish caught by anglers range from 1.5 to 5 kg. Notably, some have caught grouper weighing over 10 kg, earning them tens of millions of dong per day.
Storm YAGI inflicted severe damage on Quang Ninh, especially those engaged in offshore fish farming. Some lost a few hundred million dong, while others lost billions, even tens of billions of dong.
The anglers are catching groupers weighing a few pounds each, just as they were reaching the marketable stage after being reared by the fish farmers.
Fishing has become a popular activity in Ha Long and neighboring areas like Van Don, Quang Yen, and Mong Cai.
A preliminary assessment reveals that in Van Don district alone, Storm YAGI caused losses of over 2.2 trillion VND to marine aquaculture farmers.
In Ha Long and Quang Yen, offshore fish farmers have lost almost everything.
Immediately after the storm, the Quang Ninh authorities provided timely encouragement and support to help fishermen deal with the aftermath, protect their remaining assets, and resume production as soon as possible. The province also swiftly assessed the losses of the offshore fish farmers and proposed mechanisms and policies to assist the affected people at the earliest opportunity.
The Northern Tourism Industry Comes Together to Aid Flood Recovery Efforts
The tourism and travel industry is coming together to provide relief and support to communities affected by the recent floods in northern regions. Accommodations in Lao Cai, Thai Nguyen, Ha Giang, and Cao Bang are offering complimentary stays to those affected and to volunteer groups providing aid.
Urgent Debt Relief and Loan Continuity to Empower Citizens and Businesses to Recover from Storm Disruption.
The residents of the provinces affected by Storm Yagi, including Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Hanoi, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, and Phu Tho, will be offered debt relief through extended repayment deadlines, interest rate waivers, and new loan opportunities.
