The drifting life of an old fisherman at the Old Ferry

(Baonghean.vn) - For generations, the lives of nearly 30 fishing households at Gia ferry, Da Lam village (Da Son commune, Do Luong) have depended on fishing on the Lam river. And their livelihood is extremely precarious.

A corner of the fishing village at Gia ferry wharf.

Along the Gia ferry wharf in the flood season, the scene becomes quiet, nearly 30 boats of fishermen lie still. Mr. Dang Dinh Trung, hamlet 10, just tied his small boat to the shore, holding in his hand a bunch of fish he just caught after more than 2 hours of diving on the river, said that people usually fish at night and return to the wharf to sell fish early in the morning. Fish are very rare this season..."

A few small boats away, Mr. Tran Van Thang (78 years old) and his wife Nguyen Thi Ngoc (72 years old) were having a simple lunch on the boat. Mr. Thang could not remember how many years he had been a fisherman, since he was born he lived with his family on boats, until he got married and had children, the boat was both his home and the family's livelihood.

When the State granted them enough land to build a small house, they gave the land to their son and decided to live on the boat, going ashore a few times a year when the family had something to do. “About 10 years ago, we could earn a million dong a day, but now we can only earn 100,000-200,000 dong a day, sometimes we can earn a few tens of thousands. We are old and cannot work like before. Sometimes we don’t earn enough money to buy rice, so we ask our grandchildren to bring it to us. We both try to stick together until we can no longer work, then we return to our children and grandchildren to rely on them,” Mr. Thang shared.

Da Lam fishing village has mainly only old and weak people following the profession.

The few fish that Mr. Dang Dinh Trung caught all morning.

The fishing season of Da Lam fishermen starts from February to June every year, that is the time when many brackish water fish species return, so fishing is favorable, fish prices are higher. From July to December every year, fishing slows down because of the scarcity of fish. At nearly 2 pm, Mr. Chu Van Tu and his wife go to Do Luong to collect firewood and return home. These days, the river water is high and fishing is not possible, so they take advantage of the opportunity to go to the river to collect firewood. This is a regular side job of Da Lam fishermen. Dry firewood drifts from upstream and is collected by people and piled up along the riverbank. According to Mr. Tu, if they are lucky, they can sell a few hundred thousand in firewood within 3 days.

The life of Mr. Tran Van Thang and his wife on a fishing boat.

The fishermen at Gia ferry have nearly 30 households living off fishing, this traditional profession has been passed down through many generations, but in the face of common difficulties, most of the people have gone ashore to find other jobs, the remaining about 10 people, they are mostly old, weak and no longer strong enough to do heavy work on shore so they have to stick with fishing. The fishermen go ashore to work as construction workers, carpenters and many other jobs to make a living while their children and grandchildren, after finishing secondary and high school, go to the South and North to industrial zones to find jobs.

Collecting firewood to sell is a side job of fishermen in the fishing village.

Chairman of Da Son Commune People's Committee Hoang Huu Dong said that the situation of using electric shock to fish is real, the government has organized many arrests but it has not stopped yet. Most of the fishermen have gone ashore to find other jobs to make a living. Da Lam fishing village now only has the elderly and sick, and the uncertainties of the river profession have also increased.

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