Catching herring at the beginning of the season, Dien Chau fishermen earn millions every morning

Early season herring is priced well.

The end of February marks the beginning of the herring fishing season for coastal fishermen in Nghe An. As the sun rises above the sea, the rafts of fishermen from Dien Kim, Dien Hai, Dien Thanh communes... of Dien Chau district return to shore, carrying heavy nets of fresh green herring.

Herring season starts from the end of February and lasts until the end of May. According to fishermen, the nets used to catch herring are small mesh nets, 8-10m high and more than 1,000m long. Herring is a species that lives in surface water, often traveling in large schools. When fishermen detect a school of fish moving, they start to cast their nets.

Mr. Chu Van Quang, a fisherman in Dien Kim commune, said that herring swim in schools, 2-5 nautical miles from shore. We usually set off at 2am and start to fish at around 8am. Almost every trip catches 150-200kg, selling for 20,000-25,000 VND/kg, earning millions.

"Each raft before going to sea buys 20 liters of oil, equivalent to nearly 400,000 VND, fishes for 5-6 hours, gets more than 100kg of herring, with the current selling price of 25,000 VND/kg, earns more than 2 million VND in profit", Mr. Chu Van Quang shared.

According to Dien Chau fishermen, with the naked eye, you can distinguish two types of herring: short, flat herring (large width, thin meat) and long herring (small width, long body and thick meat). According to fishermen, long herring is chosen by more customers, so it sells for a higher price than flat herring. If short, flat herring costs 15,000 VND/kg this time, long herring costs 25,000 VND/kg.

Herring is caught close to shore, in a short time, so when it reaches shore it is still fresh and green, and is used to prepare many delicious and nutritious dishes. Ms. Nguyen Thi Yen, a trader, said that the herring is caught at night, not kept on ice, so it is still fresh. After the rafts return to shore, traders quickly purchase, clean, and transport to neighboring markets for retail; In addition, they also pack and transport to the northern provinces, especially Hanoi, for consumption.

"Nghe An's herring this season is fatty and delicious, so the market loves it. Many regular customers in Hanoi order it, so we buy all the available quantity," said Ms. Yen.

Dien Chau is the locality with the most rafts in the province, with about 300. During the herring fishing season, Dien Chau fishermen catch tons of fish every day. Nghe An herring is considered by customers to be fatter and more delicious than other places.

Mr. Le Van Huong - Deputy Director of the Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Control said that the characteristics of Nghe An coastal area are that there are many river mouths and inlets, creating a lot of plankton in the Dien Chau inlet area. At the same time, this season, the coastal area has a lot of sea shrimp, which is an abundant natural food source for herring.

Therefore, this season's herring is fatter than other seasons. A decisive factor is that the herring must be fresh to be delicious. This is also an advantage of Nghe An, because fishermen fish near the shore for a short time, so when they get to shore, they are still fresh.

Delicious dishes made from fresh herring

Freshly caught herring from the sea is used by local people as well as restaurants and hotels to prepare many delicious and nutritious dishes.

One of the delicious and unique dishes is herring salad. Fresh green herring, take 2 parts of breast meat, mix with onion, lemon, raw vegetables, peanuts... roll with rice paper, dip in sweet and sour fish sauce, very attractive. In Nghe An, herring salad is often prepared by restaurants in coastal areas to serve customers during the tourist season.

A popular dish, often found at coastal restaurants and markets, is charcoal-grilled herring. When grilled, the herring has a very eye-catching golden yellow color and a fragrant aroma. Grilled herring can be eaten with fig leaves rolled up and dipped in chili salt or a bowl of sweet and sour fish sauce, all of which are delicious.

Herring can also be fried. Fresh herring is coated with a layer of flour, after frying it becomes crispy. This fried dish is dipped with chili sauce, tomato sauce or sweet and sour fish sauce, guaranteed to be remembered by everyone who eats it.

In addition, there are many other ways to prepare it, such as fried herring with fish sauce, herring spring rolls, herring with tomato sauce, herring braised with pineapple... each dish has its own flavor, but all are delicious and nutritious, because the meat has a sweet, soft and fatty taste, containing a large amount of important nutrients that are good for human health.