Nghe An fishermen 'filter' sea sand to catch pearl snails and earn millions every day

Fishermen hunt for pearl shells at Quynh Luu beaches. Photo: Viet Hung

The profession of catching pearl snails has only appeared for about 2 years in the coastal areas of Nghe An. At the beach of Quynh Bang commune (Quynh Luu), many fishermen are seen gathering in groups of 2-3 people to catch pearl snails.

Fisherman Ho Van Tinh in Quynh Luong commune said that since May, he has been going to sea every day to catch this type of snail.

By determining the ebb and flow of the tide, fishermen can catch 300-500 kg of fish each day, earning millions of dong. Photo: Viet Hung

“When the tide is low, about 2/3 of the tidal flat, it is favorable for raking for pearl snails. We divide the work among ourselves, one person rakes the snails, the other stays above to sift and select the big ones to put in bags. When the tide is high, we go home. All the pearl snails will be imported to the center, some days we earn more than 1 million VND, on average from 500,000 - 700,000 VND/day” - fisherman Tinh said.

The fisherman's homemade tool for catching pearl snails is a rectangular frame and he moves backward to catch them. Photo: Viet Hung

The fishermen's tools for hunting pearl snails are very simple. They make a steel blade into a rectangular frame 60 cm long and 30 cm wide; then attach a mesh bag in the shape of a frame about 3 - 4 m long. When they reach the edge of the sea, they hold this tool and walk backward, then rake down the sand layer. All the snails will fall into the net. When the net is heavy, they will bring it to shore.

Clean the snails, put them in a pot to steam with ginger and lemon leaves, then remove the intestines and prepare them as a suitable dish for summer. Photo: Viet Hung

Fisherman Nguyen Van Hung in Quynh Bang commune who does this job said that this job requires fishermen to know the tides every hour; if the tide is high, it is impossible to rake, and when the tide is too low, it is even more difficult.

Bead snails, also known as rice snails, are only as small as buttons and appear year-round, but are most abundant from November to the end of the third lunar month of the following year.

Every day, Nghe An fishermen catch tons of pearl snails to import to restaurants at a price of 7,000 VND/kg. Photo: Viet Hung

The caught pearl snail products will be imported to major centers in Vinh city and Thanh Hoa province at the price of 7,000 - 10,000 VND/kg.

After removing the intestines, the snails can be prepared in many ways such as stir-fried with lemongrass, chili, and kaffir lime leaves, served with ice cake. This dish is very suitable for summer.