The drifting life of an old fisherman at the Old Ferry

(Baonghean.vn) - Living along the Lam River for generations, the lives of nearly 30 fishing households at Gia ferry, Da Lam village (Da Son commune, Do Luong) depend on fishing on the Lam River. And their livelihood is extremely precarious.

A corner of the fishing village at Gia ferry.

Along the Gia ferry dock during 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 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 dock 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 right on the boat. Mr. Thang could not remember how many years he had been involved in fishing, from the moment 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 means of livelihood for the whole family.

When the State granted them a piece of land big enough to build a small house, they gave it 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 only earn 100,000-200,000 dong a day, sometimes a few tens of thousands. We are old and can’t do it like before. Sometimes when we don’t earn enough money to buy rice, we ask our grandchildren to bring it out. We try to stick with it until we can’t do it anymore and then we go back to our children and grandchildren to rely on us,” 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 and 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 went to collect firewood at the dam Ba to Do Luong to 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 for Da Lam fishermen. Dry firewood floating from upstream 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 dong worth of firewood within 3 days.

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

The fishermen of Gia ferry have nearly 30 households living by fishing, this traditional profession has been passed down through many generations, but in the 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 school 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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