The unique method of using drag nets to catch fish at sea.

(Baonghean.vn) - Every day, around 4-5 a.m., fishermen in Quynh Luu (Nghe An) take advantage of the time to go out to sea to pull in their nets to catch fish. This work requires many people to participate.

As the first rays of dawn appear, people gather on the beach to prepare for the traditional fishing method of hauling in nets. Everyone has a task: some prepare fishing gear, others push boats out to sea to cast nets, while the rest stay on shore to pull in the nets together.

As the first person to arrive to prepare for the work, Mr. Le Hong Cau from Quynh Luong commune urged the participants to quickly complete their tasks so that they could begin pulling the nets, to avoid the fish swimming far out to sea before dawn.

Once the nets are cast out to sea, people on shore divide into two groups, each with 4-5 people holding the ropes and pulling them up. Various types of fish will then fall into the nets.

Every day, around 4-5 a.m., people in the coastal area of ​​Quynh Luu gather for the traditional fishing method of pulling nets to catch fish in the sea. Photo: Viet Hung

Mr. Cau said that pulling a fishing net from the sea requires more than 10 people. Before pulling, they use motorboats to drag the net from the shore to a distance of 300-400 meters above the ground, then loop back. Only when the two ends of the net are held by two groups of people on shore do they begin pulling it up.

"The trawling method is similar to net fishing, but the technique is different. Trawling requires a large, wide net and a large number of participants. Furthermore, trawling demands physical strength, steady pulling, and coordinated teamwork between both sides," Mr. Cau shared.

Currently, the types of fish commonly caught are mainly spotted fish, needlefish, herring, crabs, etc. Photo: Viet Hung

According to those who practice trawling, this profession dates back to ancient times. In the past, because boats didn't have engines, people had to row by hand to cast their nets out to sea. Now, thanks to machinery, trawling has become easier and more convenient.

The job of trawling is done year-round; whenever the sea is calm, everyone goes down to the sea to trawl and catch fish. On days when they encounter a large catch, each trawling village can haul in hundreds of kilograms of fish, earning millions of dong.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, one of the members of the trawling group, to catch a lot of fish, they have to cast their nets at 4-5 a.m., when the fish are close to shore and easily caught. In the summer, they usually catch spotted fish, scad, herring, and barracuda; while in the winter they catch many larger, more economically valuable fish such as mackerel, tuna, and scad. If they are lucky, each morning fishermen can earn 500,000 - 700,000 VND per person.

Pulling the nets in the hills requires more than 10 people, divided into two groups standing on the shore pulling the nets from the sea inland. Photo: Viet Hung

Currently, in the coastal communes, there are more than 10 fishing villages with over 50 workers concentrated in the communes of Quynh Luong, Quynh Bang, Quynh Minh, and Quynh Nghia. Fishing with seine nets is considered a supplementary occupation by fishermen during their leisure time, but the income from this profession is quite high.

Viet Hung