Bustling crab hunting season in Cua Lo
(Baonghean.vn) - In the last months of the year, people in Nghi Tan ward (Cua Lo town) are actively going to the sea to hunt for crabs. Although the price is not as good as in previous years, crabs are still a type of seafood that brings in a good income for many households.
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Every day, from 12 noon to 3 pm, at the boat docks and piers on the Cam River in Nghi Tan Ward (Cua Lo Town), there are quite a few crab-hunting boats docking to sell their goods. Photo: Huy Thu |
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According to locals, crabs are caught using octagonal cages on large boats, while crabs are caught using nets on small boats. In Nghi Tan ward, most people hunt crabs using nets, with each family consisting of 2-4 workers. Photo: Huy Thu |
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Crab nets are about 3 - 4m long. People often cast nets around Mat Island, each time they cast, they wait 3 - 4 hours before collecting the net. The head of each crab-hunting boat is usually attached to a reel. When collecting the net, they just need to turn the reel to roll up the net and then return to the dock to untangle it. Photo: Huy Thu |
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Removing crabs from the net requires patience and meticulousness so that the crabs do not break their legs and the net is less likely to break or be damaged. Sometimes, to remove a crab from the net, a section of the net must be cut. Therefore, the crab-hunting net is quite easily damaged, and after 5-7 trips out to sea, a new net must be replaced. Photo: Huy Thu |
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After being removed from the net, the crabs are tied by their legs with nylon ropes and transported to the wharf to be sold to traders. Photo: Huy Thu |
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Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong (65 years old), residing in Nghi Tan ward, said: Recently, each time he leaves the port (leaves at midnight, returns at noon), his family's boat catches about 40 kg of various types of crabs. According to Mr. Cuong, when hunting far from shore, they get big crabs, when hunting near shore, they get small crabs. Each day, crab hunting uses about 20 - 25 liters of fuel, depending on the distance. Currently, it is the time of year when crabs are most caught. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Before the boat reached the dock, traders from inside and outside Nghi Tan ward had gathered at the dock and on the piers, waiting to buy crabs. The scene of selecting and selling crabs at the peak time at Nghi Tan dock was quite bustling. In addition to crabs, people also bought, sold, and exchanged other types of fish and shrimp. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| There are many types of crabs: 3-spot crab (moon crab), flower crab (red crab), green crab..., of which, green crab with white spots is the type of crab with the best meat. Cua Lo crab is considered to be of good quality. The wholesale price at the wharf, the best crab (big, thick body) is about 160,000-170,000 VND/kg. The smaller the crab, the cheaper the price, the smallest type costs around 30,000 VND/kg. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Crab hunting boats docked in Nghi Tan ward, in addition to local people, there were also many people from neighboring wards and people from Hoang Mai town, Thanh Hoa... Many households from other places also came here to stay to work. "These days, every day when we go hunting, my family's boat including my father and I also hunts about 60 kg of crabs. If we catch crabs, we can earn a few million dong every day and night", Mr. Phan Van Hau - a fisherman in Quynh Phuong commune (Hoang Mai town) shared. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| According to locals, this year's crabs are less expensive than previous years. The price of crabs of the first grade last year was 200,000 - 250,000 VND/kg, but now it is only 170,000 VND/kg. The reason for the price drop, according to traders, is mainly because the northern market is not consuming as strongly as before. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Mr. Nguyen Duc Lam - Chairman of Nghi Tan Ward People's Committee said: Local people only have a few dozen boats catching crabs, the rest are boats from other localities. Along with fish, crabs are a type of seafood that brings a good income to many households in the ward, as well as people who hunt crabs in Cua Lo. Photo: Huy Thu |
Bustling crab hunting season in Cua Lo. Video: Huy Thu |
