The People’s Committee of the central coastal province of Binh Dinh on June 10 presented local fishermen with five sets of tuna fishing gear imported from Japan, which will help improve their catch quality.

Each set, worth 200 million VND (9,500 USD), includes reeling and electro-stunning equipment to slowly reel the fish in and paralyse it before it is iced up on board.

The Japan – Vietnam Friendship Association in Sakai city also sent two experts to help fishermen in Hoai Nhon district operate the equipment.

Earlier, they also received financial support to upgrade their vessels’ storage to Japanese standards.

The newly-equipped vessels are expected to take less time to carry their hauls to shore, meaning tuna can be shipped to Japan within 10 days.

It is said that the value of tuna caught in the new method will be much higher than before.

Nguyen Van An, owner of a fishing vessel in the province, said that since applying the new method, his crew have made three fishing trips, each of which brought home some 4.5 tonnes of tuna.

His tuna was sold for 96,000 VND/kg while those caught by other ships were priced at 80,000 VND/kg, he added.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Huu Loc said the provision of the fishing gear is the first step in changing the local methods of fishing so as to raise export quality.

Binh Dinh, which is among the provinces with the highest volumes of tuna in Vietnam, will expand the programme and help fishermen equip themselves with modern facilities, he noted.

Also on June 10, the Nha Trang Shipbuilding Company, under the Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, signed contracts to build two steel vessels, which will be the first in Binh Dinh, for Hoai Nhon fishermen.-VNA