Fishing boats in Quang Nam Province are busy as the new anchovy fishing season starts.

Dozens of boats have docked at An Luong fishing port in Duy Hai Commune after their night trips. Traders also arrived at the port to choose the fish. Fish that are used to make fish sauce cost from VND8,000 (35 US cents) to VND10,000 per kilo. The boat owner and the captain would call traders immediately during the night if they had a bountiful catch so that the traders are available to collect the fish fresh.

When the port was too crowded, some boats anchor hundreds of metres away and use basket boats to transfer the fish ashore. The boats from the coastal villages in Binh Minh Commune often had to anchor 200 metres away.

Nguyen Van Ba from An Luong Village is the owner of a small boat but he was able to catch 800kg of anchovy overnight. After two trips, he earned nearly VND40m (USD1,700) in profit.

The anchovy fishing season often lasts until the end of September. Depending on the size of the facility, the traders can buy up to dozens of tonnes of anchovy to make fish sauce. The fish were bought and salted immediately near the port.

The fishing season also created many jobs for female workers.

Some photos of the port: