Following the 'eel hunters' on terraced fields in the highlands of Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - After each planting season, many people in the highlands of Nghe An start going to the fields to hunt eels. On the terraced fields, hunters set up unique traps and make "one-of-a-kind" bait to trap eels.
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| At this time, on the terraced fields in the highlands of Nghe An, the rice has begun to grow green and lush. This is also the time when eels grow strongly and are easiest to hunt. Photo: Dao Tho |
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| Underneath the small house of Mr. Moong Van Son in Huoi Cut village, Yen Na commune (Tuong Duong), after days of heavy harvest, the baskets have just been finished weaving. His rough hands move back and forth, meticulously weaving and whittling to complete the last baskets in preparation for the upcoming eel hunting session. Mr. Son said: "In the past, there were almost no rice fields, so they were placed on the stream banks, where there was a lot of mud to catch eels and loaches. Since the State encouraged people to stop burning forests to make fields, the rice paddy area has expanded more and more, and there are countless eels." Photo: Dao Tho |
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| According to Mr. Son, while Kinh people use bamboo tubes or improved plastic tubes to make traps, the Khmu people split bamboo into small pieces to weave. Weaving like this is laborious, but the scent of the bait can easily escape to lure eels in. The trap has a large end and a small end, the large end is the mouth so the eels can get in but cannot run out. Everything is meticulously and carefully made by the skillful weaving hands of the "eel hunter". Photo: Dinh Tuan |
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| The bait for trapping eels is a broken chicken egg mixed with earthworms. “A raw chicken egg soaked in water and mixed with chopped earthworms is the food that eels love. Just put it down and the eel will smell it and immediately go into the trap,” said Moong Van Son. Photo: Dinh Tuan |
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| The bait is contained in a small bamboo tube the size of an adult's thumb, about 3 cm long. Around the bamboo tube, people use knives to meticulously carve many small holes so that the bait can evaporate but still not be lost. Photo: Dao Tho |
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| During the day, the hunters roam the fields to scout out areas where many eels live. At night, around 7 p.m., they start to release them. Photo: Dinh Tuan |
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| According to "eel hunters", when releasing the fish, you must choose a place with water up to your ankles and place it horizontally so that the mouth is 2/3 submerged in water. Photo: Dao Tho |
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| “On lucky days, we can catch a few kilos of eel, on bad days, a few kilos. The locals here mainly eat it, and whoever buys it, they sell it cheaply, but we don’t know who to buy it from,” said Cut Van Chuc, an eel hunter in Ky Son district happily. Photo: Dinh Tuan |
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| The results of a night of "eel hunting" on terraced fields of people in the highlands of Nghe An. Photo: Dao Tho |
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| Eel dishes are elaborately prepared by people by mixing them with sticky rice and spices, then wrapping them and steaming them. This is the famous mooc dish in the highlands of Nghe An. Photo: Dao Tho |