CUBA TOÀN BIỂN VÌ SAO VẪN THIẾU CÁ ĂN?

If you unfold a world map and look at the Caribbean Sea you'll see a long island stretching horizontally across the ocean—Cuba A country surrounded by sea on all sides with a coastline stretching thousands of kilometers clear blue waters and year-round sunshine seemingly a paradise for seafood Yet the irony lies in the fact that during many periods of food shortages Cubans had little fish on their tables At times fish meat became virtually impossible to obtain for ordinary people It sounds incredibly paradoxical and hard to grasp—a nation consisting of an island with a population of just over 11 million people and the sea right outside its doors So why don't they just go out to sea and fish to supplement their food supply Look closely at the story of geography—understand that just because there's a sea doesn't mean there will be fish Cuba has many beaches with a total coastline length of approximately 5 700 kilometers A fairly large number when compared to the size of this country What's fascinating is that despite being only about one-third the size of Vietnam its coastline is nearly twice as long The reason is that Cuba is not a round or square island mass but rather a uniquely shaped one This island stretches over 1 200 kilometers in length but is narrow and bends like a crocodile lying in the Caribbean Sea Stretching along its length are countless small bays peninsulas lagoons and thousands of tiny islets scattered around In total the coastline will be divided into many segments This geographical configuration is what makes Cuba despite being a relatively small island nation Yet it boasts one of the most notable coastlines in the Caribbean region A long coastline does not as previously stated necessarily mean a large quantity of fish We're accustomed to seeing Vietnam where fishing boats setting out to sea can easily catch large hauls But the ocean doesn't work on the principle that more seas mean more fish The waters surrounding Cuba are part of the Caribbean Sea a tropical region of warm waters to the south Warm water is beautiful enjoyable to bathe in clear and attractive for tourism but it's not ideal for giant fish populations The world's most productive fishing grounds are typically found where cold currents rise from the ocean floor This cold current carries nutrients that foster algae then tiny microorganisms followed by small fish larger fish forming a complete food chain In South America we have Peru and Chile In contrast the Caribbean Sea resembles a blue ocean but is less nutrient-rich Many areas consist of fragile coral reefs ecosystems with limited natural yields if subjected to industrial-scale fishing In simple terms Cuba's coastline is beautiful and ideal for tourism rather than sustaining a nation through fishing which would require venturing far out to sea But can Cuba go much further Because today's fishing is no longer about people hanging wooden boats out near the shore Then casting the net like a scene from a movie a picture full of romance Now each voyage out to sea feels like operating a long-haul truck The vessel must have a diesel engine fuel and ice to chill the fish Equipped with a GPS to avoid getting lost a fish finder and a safety compartment—missing any one of these could result in a major loss on the trip Going to the beach these days takes a lot of money But the real issue in Cuba stems precisely from this The problem facing Cuba began after 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union Previously Cuba received oil from the Soviet Union at extremely low prices virtually unlimited in supply The economy operated heavily dependent on this energy source Just as the Soviet Union collapsed the oil supply vanished almost immediately Cuba entered a period known as the Special Period Simply put it was an extremely severe economic crisis Fuel became extremely scarce The state had to prioritize more critical needs such as power generation The bus transports people to work hospitals and other essential destinations Fishing being highly fuel-intensive has been pushed to the back of the list That’s why such mockery arose The boats are still there fishermen still know their trade and the sea lies right outside their doors but there's no fuel to go far Many ships remain idle in port due to insufficient fuel to power their engines When boats can't go far out to sea they only fish near the shore Fishing near the shore yields less catch and less catch leads to a sharp decline in overall production so rare as to be nearly uncatchable If you want to picture it just imagine Vietnam during the rationing era—it's practically the same as Cuba is today Back then it wasn't that people were lazy there were still fields and people remained diligent You need a voucher to buy supplies or fuel Sometimes you have the means but nothing to do Cuba fell into exactly this situation after 1991 The shortage was not of sea nor of fish It's not a matter of being a person but rather lacking the necessary conditions to work It's not just about fuel supply economic organization also plays a role For a long time fishing in Cuba was primarily managed by the state To use a large vessel or fish in a specific area Every purchase no matter the size requires a permit Ordinary people find it very difficult to buy large vessels or air conditioners on their own to expand their businesses It's not that they don't want to in fact they do want to but it's just difficult That's why things sound so counterintuitive The sea remains vast and full of fish yet only a few have the means to sail out effectively Cuba has no shortage of coastline or fishermen What they lack are oil tanks equipment and flexibility in organizing production And when all those things are missing going out to sea to fish is no longer as simple as we imagined Moreover there is a sensitive factor: Cuba lies just about 150 kilometers from the state of Florida in the United States—a distance close enough for small boats to cross even homemade rafts can make it across For decades hundreds of thousands of Cubans have attempted to flee the island specifically crossing the sea to the United States in search of better economic opportunities a fishing boat can easily be converted into a vessel for illegal border crossing A rather sensitive story Now suppose all those issues have been resolved the vessel can still sail and fishermen can go out to sea freely The more fish that are caught the more Cuba still faces another issue This is an extremely important problem It's a food preservation system a system for preserving fish after catch As the elders used to say fish doesn't eat salt Fresh fish whether Cuban or Vietnamese spoils quickly without salt In the Caribbean Sea Year-round hot and humid weather means fish begin to decompose immediately upon leaving the sea Without proper refrigeration Just a few hours later the fish had deteriorated in quality even spoiling completely Therefore modern fishing can truly be said to be vastly different from the past It doesn't end when the ship docks—rather that's precisely when it begins To get fish from sea to table A supporting system is needed with a cold storage facility at the port to keep the fish fresh and a processing plant to clean and package it A refrigerated truck is required for long -distance transport and most importantly a stable power supply is essential to keep the entire cooling system running continuously Just a few hours of power outage can spoil tons of seafood Meanwhile everyone knows Cuba has been suffering from frequent power shortages for many years and lacking modern industrial equipment As a result cold storage became extremely difficult Fish caught at the port could not be transported quickly o major cities provided fishing is feasible especially in remote coastal areas As a result even if fishermen try to catch more a portion of the catch remains at risk of being lost or wasted before reaching the hands of the people In simple terms fishing is not just about how much is caught but what matters most is how much you can preserve Because fish spoils without salt especially if not stored properly The more they catch the more they sometimes waste Therefore the actual amount of seafood that Cuban people can truly buy and eat daily significantly lower than its natural potential Yet despite the fact that fish are scarce nearby but abundant farther out Cubans still cannot go out to fish Looking back at history reveals a remarkably interesting picture What's intriguing is that Cuba wasn't always as lacking in seafood as it is today Actually for a period— particularly the 1960s up until the late 1980s—Cuba once had a thriving industry Fishing technology is quite advanced compared to the Caribbean region and the driving force behind this success was not just Soviet food or oil aid but also enabled Cuba to build an entire fleet of industrial fishing vessels with hundreds of large steel ships supplied or constructed using Soviet technology equipped with modern machinery such as radar positioning devices and onboard freezing systems at the time Thanks to this Cuba was able to not only fish near the shore and even extended far into the Atlantic Ocean reaching as far as the waters off the coast of Africa This is exceptionally rare a small Caribbean nation During its peak period Cuba's sugarcane production reached approximately 200 000 tons per year This figure is also sufficient to meet domestic demand and they might even consider exporting On that day the fish considered a strategic economic sector it both generates employment and demonstrates that Cuba can operate a viable industry modernized thanks to support from the socialist bloc but the entire system remains heavily dependent on external sources Ships powered by Soviet engines and components also had oil tanks sourced from the Soviet Union Maintenance techniques and spare parts relying naturally on the supply chain from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe when the Soviet Union no longer existed that reliance suddenly disappeared Support vanished instantly and the consequences unfolded far more quickly than anyone expected Large vessels that originally required regular maintenance began deteriorating their machinery breaking down without replacement parts available technicians meanwhile Lacking repair equipment and with fuel in short supply even the few remaining operational vessels cannot set sail regularly A fleet of industrial vessels originally designed to travel thousands of nautical miles per voyage gradually became massive hunks of steel anchored motionless within What is noteworthy is that this decline did not occur gradually over several decades but happened quite abruptly within a short period e 1990s An industry once regarded as a national pride alongside sugarcane a symbol During the period of strong support it shrank significantly within just a few years Once reaching out across the oceans Cuban fishing has now turned back The model closely resembles the traditional fishing methods of several decades ago relying on small boats and limited resources This story illustrates A very clear lesson: an industry that relies heavily on external support systems will face collapse when those support structures vanish The decline can happen very quickly With Cuba the sea is still there the fish are still there the fishing expertise It still remains but their foundation is gone The industrial base that once enabled them to exploit the oceans has vanished along with the collapse of the Soviet Union and now around Cuba nothing but water nothing but sea but unable to catch enough fish to compensate for the dwindling food supply in their country It's a highly ironic tale of a Cuban brother If you find it interesting feel free to hit the subscribe button on this little channel you're watching A little support for Hải Thanh's team and now I'd like to say my farewell Goodbye Crossing through the 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