Never before Loc An fishing port (Dat Do) was quiet like today. Since the port entrance (Ray river mouth) is silted up, many fishing boats of fishers have to move to other ports and that cause transportation costs for selling seafood and carrying out services boosted up. Many boats ran aground and cost hundred million dong to fix.

TRANQUIL FISHING PORT

In these days, Loc An fishing port has no longer crowded scene of boats selling seafood as usual, only a few boats left for minor repair and wait for top of tide to depart.

As boats cannot berth the port, fishing port services are seriously declined. Mr. Huynh Phu Si, Head of the Professional Department of Loc An Fishing Port, said seafood output of previous months at the average through the port from 500 to 600 tons down to 130 tons in February 2011, other services also fell by 30%.

According to experienced fishers in Phuoc Hai, Loc An, the causes of the current silting like today is due to water from the Ray riverhead poured in less, this water is not enough to wash away, minimize the amount of sand from beach by the waves coming in, this silting will continue filling and definitely filled more and more yearly.

FISHERS MISERY

According to the Loc An Fishing Port Authority, there were 3 cases of fishing boats stranded at the port entrance one month ago. Whenever any boat ran aground, the fishing port nearly "took no action" from 3 to 5 days as during the "boat rescue", the entrance was completely blocked, other boats were unable come in and out that made the port services delayed.

Rescuing stranded boats is rather arduous and expensive. Mr. Nguyen Tan Loc, a fishing boat owner, said two months ago, all 3 of his fishing boats ran aground once each, only money for changing propellers gobbled up nearly VND200 million.

Many other fishers have been forced to dock at Phuoc Tinh, Lo Voi, Vung Tau ... But they all have gotten into troubles in selling products and performing other services since fishers have long been trading to intermediary as habits. Therefore, it takes an additional shipping cost to transport exploited products to Loc An, Phuoc Hai for consumption and transporting other goods and services from Loc An to the ports where boats docked to supply.

At the meeting on 3 March 2011 between leaders of the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development with the fishers in Phuoc Hai, Loc An to get their opinions on the port expansion as well as building storm shelter for boats at the Loc An port, many fishers pressingly requested the authorities to quickly dredge and clear the port entrance.