Nghe An fishermen in mantis shrimp hunting season

(Baonghean.vn) - Mantis shrimp are caught by fishermen in Quynh Luu district, Hoang Mai town at sea all year round, however, the peak season is from January to May. Every day, fishermen catch about 400 - 500 kg.

Watch mantis shrimp swimming in the reserve tank

Having just returned from the sea, fisherman Nguyen Van Minh in Son Hai village, Tien Thuy commune (Quynh Luu) hurriedly sorted seafood to import to the purchasing facility. In less than a day at sea, his boat caught about 4 kg of mantis shrimp and 5 kg of crab and other types of shrimp... earning nearly 700,000 VND/day, with mantis shrimp alone earning 400,000 VND.

Unlike other seafood, this shrimp lives in open seas, close to shore, so to exploit it, fishermen have to use boats to go out to sea to catch it during the day. In Quynh Luu district, Hoang Mai town, there are currently over 150 boats fishing for mantis shrimp and other seafood.

Large mantis shrimp are purchased for 80,000 - 100,000 VND/kg. Photo: Viet Hung

Fisherman Pham Van Hung in Quynh Nghia commune, who has 10 years of experience in seafood fishing, said that to catch mantis shrimp, in addition to a boat with a capacity of 15 - 25 CV, fishermen must have a thick mesh net, about 18 m long and 7 m wide to catch. Catching mantis shrimp at night is most effective; on lucky days, you can catch 10-15 kg, earning 1 - 2 million VND/night. Currently, it is the fishing season, so fishermen take advantage of their work to repair fishing gear to go out to sea to catch.

After being purchased from fishermen, mantis shrimp are put into aeration tanks. Photo: Viet Hung

Ms. Nguyen Thi Chien's mantis shrimp purchasing facility imports 30-50 kg per day. The import price depends on the time, currently 80,000-100,000 VND/kg; on holidays and summer, the price increases from 100,000-150,000 VND/kg. At restaurants, mantis shrimp can be sold for 200,000-300,000 VND/kg. The entire Tien Thuy commune has about 50 boats fishing near the shore; around 5-6 am every day, fishermen's boats return to Lach Quen wharf to import to the purchasing facility.

During the beach tourism season, mantis shrimp becomes an attractive dish for tourists from near and far because the shrimp's meat is firm, sweet, rich in nutrients and has a strong sea flavor. "After being purchased from fishermen, mantis shrimp are put into aeration tanks. Because they are caught during the day, they are very fresh and delicious, especially this is the time when mantis shrimp are in season," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Chien.

Currently, in addition to being sold at markets, mantis shrimp are also preserved in tanks by restaurants at Quynh Nghia, Quynh Minh, Quynh Phuong, and Quynh Lien beaches (Hoang Mai town), serving the needs of tourists./.

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