Unique profession of hunting clams in mangrove rivers in Nghe An
Viet Hung - August 12, 2018 16:18
(Baonghean.vn) - When the tide in the mangrove rivers goes down, people in Quynh Di ward (Hoang Mai town, Nghe An) gather to hunt for clams. With just a homemade fishing rod, people can catch nearly ten kilograms of clams with an income of 300,000 - 400,000 VND/day.
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| Around June to September is the season when clams grow the most in the mangrove rivers. This is also the time when people in Quynh Di ward (Hoang Mai town) gather to hunt clams. Photo: Viet Hung. |
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| To hunt for clams, people must first understand the terrain and wait for low tide, usually 15 days a month. Photo: Viet Hung. |
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| Ms. Ho Thi Mai in Quynh Di has many years of experience and said: “The profession of catching clams has existed since our ancestors and is preserved until today. To catch clams, each person must have a fishing rod made of bamboo about 3 meters long and a piece of hook wrapped around the end of the rod. When the prey is discovered, the hunter just hooks the rope around the clam’s claw and then pulls it up. Photo: Viet Hung. |
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| It looks simple, but not everyone can do it because clams are relatively difficult to catch. The old people have a saying "as timid as clams" because clams, whenever they see movement, they quickly hide in their holes. Therefore, the angler must move very gently, not to disturb them; when needing to drop them down, must know which part of the clam to hook the line to make it easier to lift them up. In the photo: A male clam with a large claw was caught by a hunter in a mangrove river in An Hoa commune, Quynh Luu district. Photo: Viet Hung. |
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| Ms. Ho Thi Lai said: “Because she has been hunting clams for decades, this job is not difficult for her. When fishing, she has to find big crabs to achieve productivity; when she catches a male clam, she hooks the line to the claw, and when she catches a female clam, she hooks it behind her leg to fly up. At this time, she catches 5-7 kg/day. Photo: Viet Hung |
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| According to mussel hunters, currently only people in Quynh Di ward (Hoang Mai town) do this job. They often go to the mangrove rivers in Hoang Mai, Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, and even Thanh Hoa to catch mussels. During the season, each person catches an average of nearly ten kilograms of mussels, earning more than VND500,000 per day; currently, it is about 5-7 kilograms per day. Photo: Viet Hung. |
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| After catching the fish, they will import it to traders or bring it home to process into fish sauce, selling it for 250,000 VND/kg; or if they grind it and sell it as broth to cook soup or make vermicelli soup, it will cost 50,000 VND/kg. Fish is a specialty dish loved by many regions, so the fish product is also frozen and transported to Hanoi, Hai Phong... for consumption. Photo: Viet Hung |
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| Clam soup cooked with jute, Malabar spinach and squash is very cool and nutritious. Photo: Viet Hung |
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