Soak and rake mussels on Lam River
(Baonghean.vn) - Mussels are not only a familiar dish in every household, but also a "heavenly gift" to the fishermen along the river. These days, people in the districts along the Lam River have begun the mussel raking season.
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| Summer is coming, people in mussel villages along Lam River in Anh Son, Do Luong, Thanh Chuong, Nam Dan districts... are entering the main mussel raking season. On the river sections of their hometown, under the harsh summer sun, fishermen are still actively raking mussels. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Each mussel raker usually brings a small boat, specialized rakes made of bamboo or steel, a sieve, a basket to scoop the mussels... Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Depending on the locality, people go clam raking by boat or by hand. In deep water areas, people often use motorboats to pull iron rakes with long nets attached. In shallow river areas, they use hand rakes. Although raking clams by hand is hard (we are immersed in water sometimes up to our waists, we have to stretch to pull the rake), it does not cost as much fuel as raking by motorboat. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| To rake mussels with bamboo or steel rakes, the operator must be proficient. They hold the rake in front of them, hold it in their hands and walk backward. A rope around their back pulls the rake. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| The manual clam raking job has long been considered a hard job. Mr. Ngu Van Cuong from Vo Liet commune, Thanh Chuong district shared: People say "when the job is over, go fishing, when the job is over, go raking", there is no other job, we have to rake clams to earn a living. Clams are becoming increasingly rare, so income is quite unstable. Photo: Huy Thu |
The clam rakes are dragged over the sand like sieves. The sand flows out with the water, leaving behind mussels and gravel. Photo: Huy Thu
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| Clam raking seems to be a job only for men, but in fact, in the clam village, there are many women who are very good at it. They often go in the middle of the day, rake through noon, and return in the afternoon. While raking, each time the rake gets heavy, they stop to dump the clams into the boat compartments. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Families with two or more people going to rake for mussels usually assign one person to clean the mussels and filter out the sand. If they go alone, they only do this job when they return to the dock. Photo: Huy Thu |
After finishing work, they clean their tools, rest, and relax with the river to forget all their tiredness. Photo: Huy Thu
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| Depending on luck, each clam raking session, each person earns a few dozen kilograms. The clams are brought home to cook and sell at the local market or are imported to traders at a price of around 10,000 VND/kg. Clams are a "heavenly gift" that brings income to many people who make a living from the river. Clams can be processed into many delicious, cool, and nutritious dishes that many people love. In the hot summer, a family meal with a bowl of clam soup will be so interesting. Photo: Huy Thu |
| The hard work of clam raking on Lam River. Clip: Huy Thu |
