As many as 77 tuna fishing boats based at Ward 6 Port in central Phu Yen province’s Tuy Hoa city sailed to the Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago on February 5 on their first offshore fishing voyage this lunar new year.

Tran Van Dong, together with his nine-person crew, are spending over 150 million VND (7,050 USD) on the trip. They expect to return home in one month.

Fisherman Le Duc Tuyen in Phu Dong ward said he is hoping for a successful mission, adding that he gained almost 80 million VND (3,760 USD) during an expedition before the Tet holiday.

According to Captain Nguyen Ngoc Ry from the Tuy Hoa border post, there will be more than 150 vessels heading to sea by February 11.

Other boats operating between one and five nautical miles from the shore can bring back up to 200 kilograms of fish, earning a profit of up to 3 million VND (141 USD) every day.

Meanwhile in Quang Ngai province, fishing unions in Binh Son district and Ly Son Island held ceremony to launch the fishing season in 2014, hoping to catch more than 142,000 tonnes of aquatic products this year.-VNA