(Baonghean) – For a long time, the leaves of the "coi" plant have been used by people in the highlands of Nghe An province to catch fish. They create a barrier (to block the water flow) and then drop crushed branches and leaves of the "coi" plant into it. The plant's stem and leaves contain an active ingredient that causes fish to experience eye irritation and oxygen deprivation, causing them to surface. Currently, this fishing method is causing much debate. Fishermen say that the leaves only make the fish "dizzy," "stunned," and cause eye irritation, but they don't kill them. They also claim that eating these leaves doesn't affect human health, and that the people have been using this method for hundreds of years.
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| Cơi is a type of woody plant that grows abundantly along rivers and streams in western Nghe An province. |
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| The leaves of the fish farm contain a substance that makes fish "intoxicated," causing them to surface. |
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| The leaves are brought back and crushed so that the sap in the stem and leaves can be fully utilized. |
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| However, the sap in the leaves is only effective in shallow, slow-flowing water. Therefore, to catch fish, people have to build a dam (to block the water flow). |
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| The newly sprouted leaves are scattered downstream. |
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| A short while later, the small fish, having fainted, floated to the surface of the water. |
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| Larger fish are only slightly "stunned," and people use scoops to herd them in. |
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| When the leaves are scattered, the children can easily go fishing. |
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| After a while, the leaves were all washed away, so people started crushing the leaves again and throwing them down. |
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| Most of the fish caught by the leaf-picking technique are small, finger-sized fish. |
Dao Tho - Ho Phuong
