Central Vietnamese fishermen strike it rich from baby lobsters.

After the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Horse, fishermen in central Vietnam, specifically in the provinces of Quang Ngai, Quang Nam, and Binh Dinh, have been continuously catching large quantities of small juvenile lobsters.

Since the Lunar New Year, hundreds of fishermen in Tam Quan Bac and Tam Quan Nam communes, Hoai Nhon district (Binh Dinh province) have been catching a bountiful harvest of juvenile lobsters (also known as baby lobsters). After each night at sea, each boat can catch an average of 30 to 40 lobsters (each worth 350,000 VND).

Fishermen in Binh Chau, Binh Son district (Quang Ngai province) had a bumper harvest of baby shrimp after the Lunar New Year of the Horse. Photo: Tri Tin.

Currently, there are about 100 boats and rafts with approximately 500 fishermen in the two aforementioned communes participating in catching juvenile lobsters. Mr. Nguyen Van Anh from Tam Quan Bac commune said that from the end of December until now, the fishermen here have earned at least 5 billion VND from catching juvenile lobsters.

According to veteran fishermen in Binh Dinh, these juvenile lobsters cannot currently be bred using farming methods; they can only be harvested from the sea and brought back for breeding. Based on current market prices, each juvenile lobster costs an average of 350,000 to 400,000 VND, an increase of over 40% compared to last year.

Fisherman Truong Van Thuan from Tam Quan Bac commune is delighted, as the calm seas after Tet have allowed him to earn a high income from catching baby lobsters. After each night, each fisherman receives between 1.5 and 3 million VND from the boat owner.

Lobster juveniles are carefully preserved before being transported by traders to lobster farms for export. Photo: Tri Tin.

In Quang Ngai province, over the past few days, approximately 600 fishing boats and rafts belonging to fishermen in Duc Pho, Son Tinh, and Binh Son districts have also had a bumper catch of juvenile lobsters. As dusk falls, they travel on small fishing boats about 3 nautical miles from shore to catch juvenile lobsters, which are only the size of a chopstick tip, and bring them back to the dock to sell to traders.

According to fishermen in Duc Pho district, after each night at sea, any boat that catches 30 or more juvenile shrimp is considered to have struck it rich. In particular, Mr. Vo Long Thu's boat in Pho Quang commune, Duc Pho district, has consistently had bumper catches of juvenile shrimp, earning between 10 and 26 million VND each night.

After being caught at sea, baby lobsters are carefully preserved in buckets of water, most importantly, they must be alive and healthy when brought ashore. Ms. Ha, a small trader who buys baby lobsters to supply hatcheries in Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa, shared that due to the high demand from lobster farmers exporting their products, all baby lobsters caught by fishermen in Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh are bought up.

Traders are buying juvenile lobsters from fishermen in Quang Ngai province for 350,000 VND each. (Photo: Tri Tin)

Meanwhile, in the communes of Tam Quang, Tam Hai, and Tam Tien in Nui Thanh district (Quang Nam province), local fishermen began harvesting juvenile lobsters from the end of the twelfth lunar month. Fisherman Tran Van Hanh from Tam Tien commune revealed that the price of juvenile lobsters has increased by more than 200,000 VND per kilogram compared to last year, so many local fishermen rushed out to sea to catch them even during the Tet holiday.

According to Mr. Hanh, to catch baby lobsters, fishermen have to stay awake all night, starting from 4 PM to 5 AM the next morning. The most difficult part is identifying the areas where baby lobsters congregate before setting off with lights and casting their nets. The next morning, they pull up the nets and use scoop nets to catch the baby lobsters. Those who are hardworking and diligent can earn a high income from this profession. Many fishermen, who have been fishing since December, have earned over 100 million VND, enjoying a warm and happy "late Tet" (Lunar New Year) with their families.

According to vnexpress