(Baonghean.vn) - The news about storm No. 10 landing in Nghe An and the crackling sound coming from the old radio made the wrinkles on Mr. Hau and Mr. Thoa's faces deeper.
Sitting on the high watchtower on the beach, they and many clam farmers in Quynh Tho commune (Quynh Luu) can only pray that the storm will not come.
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| Along Quynh Tho beach (Quynh Luu) are clam-watching huts of clam-farming households in the commune. Currently, the whole commune has 13 clam-farming households. Photo: Chu Thanh |
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| The news of storm No. 10 about to hit Nghe An coming from an old radio made the wrinkles seem to deepen on the face of Mr. Ho Ngoc Thoa (1962), one of the clam farming households in Quynh Tho. "After the storm, I don't know if my family's newly released 1 hectare of clams will survive or if they will be washed away by the waves and wind. So, if farming depends on the sky and the earth, we have to endure it," Mr. Thoa said. Photo: Chu Thanh |
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| Patting the stairs leading up to the tall clam watchtower, about 4.5 square meters wide, located in the middle of the beach, Mr. Ho Ngoc Hau (1964) carefully reminded to pay attention to the clams and oysters clinging to the bottom of the watchtower. “Just looking at it like this, it cost more than ten million to build a watchtower. A more spacious and solid watchtower would cost several tens of millions. Last time the storm came, this watchtower was so shaky that we had to fight it off. I don’t know if it can hold up this time,” Mr. Hau smiled sadly. Photo: Chu Thanh |
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| Mr. Hau said that clam farming can also be considered a “windy and difficult” job because he has to be present at the clam watchtower almost all day. Sleeping, resting, eating… all activities of clam farming families like his take place at the watchtower. Photo: Chu Thanh |
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| Almost every night, Mr. Thoa and Mr. Hau go to the watchtower. "After the clam watch, it's time to watch the people, if you don't watch, you'll lose everything. And when you sleep, you have to wrap the buoy tightly, otherwise when you wake up, you might find yourself drifting out to sea," Mr. Hau said humorously. It's a joke, but it's not really a joke. For those who stay at the clam watchtower, they absolutely never lock the door while they're inside and always carry life jackets. Because the ocean is unpredictable. When waves and storms suddenly sweep in, people can still run away. But if they can't run away in time, if they survive, they have something to hold on to while waiting for someone to come rescue them when the watchtower is blown out to sea. Photo: Chu Thanh |
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| Having raised clams for more than two decades, Mr. Hau said that this profession still depends largely on the weather. God loves, God gives. If you lose, you have to accept it. Like many households here, his family has more than 1 hectare of clam farming. "We just released them in the third and fourth lunar months, when the storm came, the clams were still small. If there was anything valuable in the hut, we would bring them back to the market and not know what to do with them. When the storm passes, we will have to think about it again," Mr. Hau mused. Photo: Chu Thanh |
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| According to the experience of clam farmers, a storm of level 9 or 10 or higher means a near total loss. Not to mention when the monsoon season, strong waves sweep away all the clams that farmers grow, or when an epidemic leaves the entire field covered in white clam carcasses. Unlike other seafood species, clam farming is difficult to detect early disease or find a way to treat it. Sometimes when visiting the "field" and seeing the clams dead, the farmer can only sigh in sadness. Photo: Chu Thanh |
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| Over the past two years, the price of clams has dropped. Currently, each kilo of clams is only bought by traders at 11,000 VND at the beach. With storm No. 10 approaching, some Quynh Tho residents are taking advantage of the opportunity to go to the beach to rake up some clams to cook. As for the clams still growing and waiting to be harvested at the end of the year, they can only pray for God's mercy! Photo: Chu Thanh |
Chu Thanh
