Provinces like Kien Giang, Binh Thuan, Binh Dinh, and Ben Tre have seen their fish catch increase greatly. Kien Giang fishermen for instance caught 345,600 tonnes of fish and other marine products, a 14.2 per cent rise year-on-year.— VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) — Both seafood and aquaculture output are up in the first nine months of the year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Fishermen caught 2.1 million tonnes of fish and other species from the sea and 140,000 tonnes from rivers, canals, and ponds for a total catch that was up 4.8 per cent from the same period last year.

The ministry attributed the increase to favourable weather, productive fishing grounds, and greater investment in boats.

Fishermen also focused on catching high-value fish.

Many provinces have formed fishing fleets that work together at sea, and they have operating effectively, the ministry said.

With Government support, many fishermen have taken loans to buy fishing equipment, it said.

Provinces like Kien Giang, Binh Thuan, Binh Dinh, and Ben Tre have seen their fish catch increase greatly.

Kien Giang fishermen for instance caught 345,600 tonnes of fish and other marine products, a 14.2 per cent rise year-on-year.

The country's aquaculture output also rose, expanding by 4.9 per cent to 2.49 million tonnes.

But the output of tra, farmed almost exclusively in the delta, was down, according to local agriculture departments.

They blamed it on the low prices of the fish.

Several provinces in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta like Bac Lieu, Tra Vinh, and Kien Giang have seen the output of black-tiger shrimp increase.

The value of fisheries in the period is estimated at VND134 trillion (US$6.3 billion), up 6.5 per cent from the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office. — VNS