Exports of tuna, one of Viet Nam’s major seafood products, grew by 51.2 per cent over the past five years. However, many Vietnamese fishermen still lack the catching and processing skills that would improve product quality and therefore value. The central coastal province of Binh Dinh is changing these habits by training fishermen in modern techniques.
“We were told that two of 10 tuna exported to Japan by air in late July were bought for VND420,000 ($20) and VND400,000 ($19) per kilo, respectively. Only one was bought for VND50,000 ($2.4) because of its poor quality,” the Bidifisco director said.
“It’s the first time ever that tuna from Binh Dinh has fetched the highest possible price at Japan’s biggest tuna market,” she added.
Lan explained that as a result, fishermen decided to undergo three months of training on new fishing techniqueand skills with the help of the Japanese Kato Company.
Nguyen Que, 33, owner and captain of a five-boat fishing fleet from Binh Dinh’s Tam Quan District, expressed eagerness for the second catch as his first 25-day trip last July earned VND170 million ($8,000), a VND50 million increase from that of last year’s catch using old fishing method.
“Our work has paid off,” Que remarked. “We used to render the fish unconscious 20 seconds after hauling them up to deck and leave them out to dry before keeping them under refrigeration, but this makes the tuna flabby and reduces their quality. We don’t use the old style (of fishing) anymore.”
Que said his fleet’s 20-member crew received training from Japanese experts on the use of new fishing tools as well as new refrigeration and transshipping techniques and practices.
“We acknowledge that the new approach to catching tuna helps create products of better export quality and value. Our product could be marketable and competitive abroad if we do this the right way,” he said.
“We knew how to catch tuna with a wheel, but not by manual fishing like we used to. This was also the first training session I have experienced during my entire 15-year career in fishing, the trade I inherited from my father,” he said.
He also pointed out that the tuna must be exported within 10 days after it was caught.
Masakazu Shoga, who had invested in the training of the Binh Dinh fishermen, noted that local fishers had been using outdated fishing techniques.
“It’s time to change now. The old fishing tradition results in poor quality tuna. The fish is often killed by local fishermen before being preserved in poor quality refrigeration systems on month-long fishing trips,” Shoga said.
“Sashimi-grade tuna always fetches the highest price, but it requires the use of strict safety measures for it to meet standards and be sold in the Japanese market,” he added.
Local support
Binh Dinh authorities have mapped out a strategy for producing quality tuna exports.
Tran Thi Thu Ha, vice chairwoman of the Binh Dinh Provincial People’s Committee, said that local government support would help make this happen.
VIETNAMNET Bridge