Nghe An: Squid fishing at sea, earning tens of millions of dong each night

(Baonghean.vn) - Squid fishing is a traditional occupation of fishermen in Son Hai commune (Quynh Luu). Although it is more difficult than other fishing occupations, the value is very high, considered the "rice-making" occupation of fishermen in coastal areas.

As soon as we arrived at Lach Thoi port, we saw dozens of traders waiting at the wharf to buy seafood from the ships that had just returned from offshore. The fishing boat NA 95170 of fisherman Hoang Van Bang was anchored, taking turns transporting seafood such as squid and hairtail fish onto the ship. At this time, about 5 traders came to pack and arrange the squid on trays to sell during the day.

Bustling at Lach Quen fishing port, Tien Thuy commune (Quynh Luu)

Fisherman Hoang Van Bay, captain of fishing boat NA 95170, excitedly said: To avoid ineffective fishing during the full moon, from the 7th to the 12th of every lunar month, all vessels must return to the dock to rest during the full moon, import seafood and repair the boat. This trip, we caught 300 kg of fresh squid, and after drying in the sun, we got 80 kg of dried squid. Thus, in just one night, we earned 40 million VND.

Quynh Luu fishermen's squid fishing boat is operating in the Gulf of Tonkin. Photo: Nguyen Khoa

Fisherman Bay shared: “Due to difficult family circumstances, at the age of 13, I followed veteran fishermen to sea, the main job was squid fishing, sleeping in the morning and sitting and fishing until dawn at night. I know it is hard work, but gradually it became a habit, up to now I have spent 28 years attached to the sea, to the profession of squid fishing”.

Fisherman Ngo Van Dong in village 4, Son Hai commune, who has been fishing for squid at sea for more than 20 years, said: "Currently, squid fishing is being exploited by fishermen in many sea areas, each place has a different secret to squid fishing to achieve efficiency. For fishermen, we are focusing on exploiting in the open sea, the exploitation efficiency is much higher than in the open sea and that is the highlight of the Son Hai squid fishing profession."

The bait is made of colored plastic and has two sharpened iron hooks underneath.

According to the experience of fishermen, to catch squid, each boat must be equipped with 10-20 fishing rods. The fishing rod is made of bamboo tubes, about 15-20 meters long; secondly, there must be a fishing line wrapped in many circles; thirdly, there is bait. Bait is used with fake objects such as plastic, wood with eye-catching shapes and bright colors to attract prey.

And what is more important is that when fishing for squid, the boat must turn on all the high-voltage lights, each 1,000kW, to lure the prey, then swing the rod out to fish in calm waves and calm seas. During the fishing process, you must know how to look at the moon, the tide, and the technique of pulling the line so that many large squids will be caught. At that time, you must also skillfully roll the line to be able to bring the squid to the boat, otherwise it will slip back into the sea and fail.

Night squid fishing in the Gulf of Tonkin. Photo: Nguyen Khoa

Mr. Nguyen Tien Manh - Vice Chairman of Son Hai Commune People's Committee said: offshore squid fishing is the main occupation of local people, each year, the output of dried squid is about 300 tons, worth billions of VND. Many families are rich thanks to offshore squid fishing. Currently, the locality is encouraging people to build large boats, expand fishing grounds, both develop traditional fishing and use modern fishing gear to increase output on each long trip.

High voltage electrical system on board for squid fishing.

Squid is a seafood source that is very popular in the market, with stable prices, especially dried squid that can last for a long time without spoiling. Currently, dried squid purchased at the wharf is 500-600 thousand VND/kg for large squid; 300-400 thousand VND/kg for small squid. If squid is sold by traders in the market, the price will be higher by 100-150 thousand VND/kg.

In addition to Son Hai commune, some communes such as Quynh Nghia and Tien Thuy are also investing in large boats and engines to exploit seafood, including squid. Since the beginning of the year, Quynh Luu fishermen have been continuously successful in squid fishing, earning an average of 20-40 million VND per night.

Viet Hung