Fishermen in Nghe An province are in the season of pulling in seine nets.
(Baonghean.vn) - These days, the weather is hot and sunny, the sea is calm, and many types of seafood are coming near the shore to find food. Fishermen in Quynh Phuong ward, Hoang Mai town, are busily casting their seine nets to catch seafood.
At 5 a.m., we arrived at Quynh Phuong beach. The sun hadn't yet risen above the sea, but groups of people were already busily pulling their nets ashore.
With strong hands lifting the heavy net, Mr. Dau Duc Khuong, from Than Ai Hamlet, Quynh Phuong Ward, said this was his second trip of the day. His boat set sail for the first trip at 1 a.m. Mr. Khuong and another young man are tasked with rowing a small boat 1-1.5 km from the shore to cast the nets. Typically, the nets are 2,000-3,000 meters long. One end of the net is kept on shore, while the other end is carried onto the small boat and cast in an arc shape until the entire length of the net is used.
After about two hours, the fishermen began to pull in the nets. On shore, more than a dozen men and women, divided into two groups, stood on either side, pulling the nets backward and gradually moving closer together as they were brought near the shore. At this point, seafood such as fish, shrimp, crabs, and squid would get caught and gather at the end of the net. The closer to shore, the more the fish thrashed and leaped into the air, creating a white blur before falling back into the net.
Mr. Khuong said that, depending on the fish schools, each time they cast their nets, on a good day they can catch up to several hundred kilograms of various seafood, but on other days they only get 5-7 kg. Some boats earn over 5 million VND after just a few hours of casting their nets.
Seafood caught with seine nets is quite diverse, but mainly includes scad, anchovies, herring, squid, and shrimp. Because the seafood is still fresh when brought ashore, the selling price is quite high. Scad and anchovies retail for 40,000-50,000 VND/kg, and wholesale to traders for 25,000-30,000 VND/kg. Squid costs 300,000 VND, and cuttlefish 150,000 VND/kg.
Sitting on the sand, resting and quickly eating breakfast after two fishing trips, Mrs. Dau Thi Nhan (68 years old, residing in Than Ai Hamlet, Quynh Phuong Ward) said that in the locality, young, strong men go on long fishing trips offshore, while the less strenuous work of pulling seine nets near the shore is mainly done by older women. Regardless of the time of year, whenever the weather is favorable and the sea is calm, fishermen pull seine nets.
On slow days, they make 2-3 trips, but on days when there are many fish near the shore, they can make up to 5 trips. Everyone takes advantage of the time to eat and rest under the trees near the shore while waiting to catch the fish. They start going out to sea at 1-2 am and return home at 11 am. If the weather is good, on a good day each person can earn 500,000 VND, on a bad day 50,000 VND, which is a decent income compared to living conditions in their hometown.
The practice of trawling in Hoang Mai town is mainly concentrated in Quynh Phuong ward. Mr. Ho Xuan Huong, Chairman of the Ward People's Committee, said that this profession has existed for a long time, passed down from father to son. Previously, the locality had dozens of boats involved in fishing with trawls. However, due to the depletion of nearshore marine resources, only 3 families still practice this profession, while the rest of the fishermen have switched to other fishing occupations.
However, since Quynh Phuong is a tourist beach, preserving this traditional craft could later become an experiential activity for tourists.