Farmers hunting for eels earn nearly a million VND per day

(Baonghean.vn) - From 60cm long bamboo tubes dropped in the fields, Mr. Le Dinh Son in Quynh Hoa commune (Quynh Luu) can catch 5 - 7 kg of eels per day, earning about 700,000 VND.

Every day, around 5am, Mr. Le Dinh Son (born in 1985) is busy collecting 150 traps placed in the rice fields. After a night of using traps to lure eels, Mr. Son collects 5 - 7 kg of eels.

Mr. Son has been hunting eels for 10 years now. In the fields, he knows which areas have a lot of big eels.

Around 4-5am every day, Mr. Son goes to the field to collect bamboo. Photo: Viet Hung

According to Mr. Son, since he started hunting for eels, he has been using bamboo-covered traps to release them in rice fields or canals. Eels are hunted all year round, but January, March, June and July are the months with the most eels because they are in the eel spawning season.

After a night of setting the bait, the eels entered the trap. Photo: Viet Hung

Every afternoon around 4-5pm, Mr. Son carries about 150 bamboo tubes and leisurely wanders around the fields in the commune to hunt for eels. This job is not hard but brings in a very high income. When there are the least eels, Mr. Son can earn about 7 million VND/month. When there are a lot of eels, his income can double, from 15-17 million VND/month.

Mr. Son said that this job does not require much capital, the initial cost is from 200,000 - 300,000 VND to buy bamboo tubes. In the late afternoon, take the opportunity to place them in the field, and collect them the next morning. Currently, the price of imported eels for traders is 130,000 VND/kg, and the retail price at the market is 150,000 VND/kg.

The trap is made from bamboo, depending on whether it is shallow or deep, it can be cut shorter or longer than 60cm; one end of the trap is cut off to make a door for the eels to enter. Photo: Viet Hung

Sharing about how to hunt for eels, Mr. Son said that before releasing the traps, you must find fields that often have a lot of eels; second, look at the color of the water in the field. If it is cloudy yellow, there are a lot of eels there; third, prepare bait to attract eels. The bait to attract eels is earthworms, golden apple snails and field crabs, crushed and mixed well; use bait to fill the lid of the trap and then release it in the field. When the bait is detected, the eels will crawl inside the trap and get stuck.

Currently, the price of imported eel for traders is 130,000 VND/kg; in one night, Mr. Son earns about 600,000 - 700,000 VND. Photo: Viet Hung

If the trap is placed too shallow, the eels will not crawl in, and if it is placed too deep in the mud, the smell of food will not spread far enough to attract them. In addition, to avoid losing the trap, the eel catcher must have a good memory and a reasonable "map" of the placement.

Every day, Mr. Son places 150 traps. Photo: Viet Hung

Not only Mr. Son, in Quynh Hoa commune, there are about 20 households; 10 households in Quynh Thanh; 5 households in Quynh Hau… who hunt for eels. According to the people, this job is more healthy than the jobs of construction workers and porters, but it has a higher income. Many people who hunt for eels have a stable and more prosperous life.

Viet Hung