"Erasing" a mussel village along Lam River?

In the middle of the third lunar month, we went to Hao Hao wharf (Trét hamlet, Khanh Son commune, Nam Dan) - a place famous for its "clam picking" profession. Tret hamlet's mussels are famous for their fragrant, sweet, and firm meat, which is very "popular" with diners from near and far. Traders come to buy them right at the wharf, so people don't have to go out and sell them. "Clam picking" is a side job but it brings in the main source of income for people in some hamlets in Khanh Son, especially Tret hamlet (hamlet 2).

During the mussel harvesting season, Hao Hao wharf is deserted. Photo: Thuc Duong

But now, due to the massive exploitation of sand and gravel, the flow of Lam River has changed; water pollution has caused the mussels to dry up and disappear. Hao Hao mussel wharf is deserted, empty, the boat lies rusty on the shore. Mussel harvesting tools such as hoe, rake, net, and roller have to be put away in the cupboard or stored in the warehouse.

The clam-catching tools of Khanh Son people (Nam Dan) now have to "lie in the garden". Photo: Thuc Duong

With no more mussels, people lost their jobs and became unemployed. Some households with large gardens switched to growing lemons and vegetables; others went into the forest to pick trees and weave brooms to sell; the young went to the South and North to work for hire to make a living.

Mr. Ha Van Hue, a resident of Hamlet 2, said: “My family has 6 or 7 brothers and sisters who all work in the clam fishing business. Clams are the source of income for the whole family. All expenses depend on clams. Now that the clams are depleted, we are unemployed. This is the off-season, every year we go clam fishing by boat, earning a few hundred thousand a day, but now we have to sit around doing nothing.”

During the off-season, it was mussel season, some households felt sorry for their efforts and money, so they bought fuel to run their boats and try to rake, but it was no use. Waiting for half an afternoon at the wharf, we finally met Mr. Hai and his wife who anchored their boat on the shore. He said in dismay: "I lost nearly 200,000 VND on fuel, going all the way down to Nam Cuong, Nam Trung, spending almost a day in the water and sun, but it was no use. Traders called to order, but this is only enough to cook soup." He said, pointing to the mussels he raked that day, estimating that he got about a few kilos of mussels and a few small fish, so he lost half the fuel money, not counting the couple losing a day's work. "Let's just hang up the boat! We don't dare go anymore! Where can we make money from this?", his wife sighed.

The few mussels that Mr. Hai and his wife caught after a day of soaking in the sun. Photo: Thuc Duong

Going along the Lam River flowing through Khanh Son Commune, at the wharves, the boats are all on the shore, it is rare to see some people returning from clam hunting. But the result is the same: "Nothing!". This is completely different from 2 years ago, the wharves were bustling with boats returning, full of clams. During the clam season (from March to November of the lunar calendar), each day, 1 boat (2 workers) can rake up a ton of clams, earning millions of dong easily. During the clam season, the whole village is deserted, only the river is bustling. Now, on the contrary, the rice has not yet reached the harvest season, most people are at home, the river wharves are deserted, and as for clams, "it is difficult to cook a bowl of vegetable soup with clams to eat! If you want to eat, you have to go to the market to buy clams from elsewhere", said Mr. Viet Son.

So, the fear of wiping out Hao Hao mussel village is now present...

Thuc Duong