Locals make giant fishing nets, catching half a ton of minnows in each haul.
(Baonghean.vn) - Giant fishing nets with lights are erected on large hydroelectric reservoirs in Nghe An province such as Ban Ve and Hua Na. On average, each net haul yields 500-700 kg of fish.
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| According to those working in the trade, these are fishing nets with lights used to catch small fish. Currently, there are more than 100 such nets on the Ban Ve (Tuong Duong) and Hua Na (Que Phong) hydroelectric reservoirs. Photo: Ho Phuong |
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| The illuminated fishing net covers an area of about 400 square meters. It takes 4 to 5 skilled craftsmen up to 4 days to create one illuminated fishing net for catching minnows. The cost of investing in one net is about 10-15 million VND, including labor and material costs (including net, battery, rope, pulleys, wood, etc.). Photo: Ho Phuong |
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| The netting used to make the fishing trap is the most expensive material in the trap. Each net, measuring 300 to 400 square meters, costs around 2.5 to 4 million VND. Photo: Ho Phuong |
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| The light bulb is powered by a battery and a power inverter to provide more light. From 6 PM to 7 PM daily, the fisherman connects the battery and turns on the light. Photo: Ho Phuong |
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| Because the net was so large, the person pulling it up couldn't use a rod like with regular nets, but had to use a winch and pulleys. The faster this process happened, the more efficient it was. Photo: Ho Phuong |
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| Each pulley has a rope attached to it, used to lock the winch in place. When the fishing is complete, the net owner lowers the winch and unlocks it. Photo: Ho Phuong |
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| After the mouth of the net is raised about 1 meter above the water surface, a person uses a rope to wrap around and pull the bottom of the net to a point to bring the fish into the boat. Photo: Ho Phuong |
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| The net is primarily used to catch minnows. Locals use minnows as feed for caged fish or sell them to other areas. The price of minnows ranges from 3,500 to 10,000 VND per kilogram. Thus, each net haul can yield a value of up to 4 million VND worth of fish. Photo: Ho Phuong |
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| "Previously, each time a fisherman cast his net with a lamp, he could catch 600 to 700 kg of minnows per net. However, nowadays, the fish are increasingly scarce, and due to the cold weather, some days he only gets 100 to 200 kg per net per cast," a fisherman said. Photo: Ho Phuong |
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| The minnows caught are sold to traders who supply them to various fish sauce production facilities, animal feed companies, and also to feed the fish in the family's cages. Mr. Tran Van Thuan, a fish cage farmer, said that his family has 30 fish cages and catches more than 200 kg of small fish daily to feed them. (Photo: Diep Phuong) |
