(Baonghean.vn) - The craft of making purse seine nets has only appeared in Quynh Long (Quynh Luu district) in the last ten years or so. Although it is a new profession, it provides stable income and work for nearly 2000 laborers. A day trip to Quynh Long will allow you to see this work more clearly and to better appreciate the skillful and talented hands of the fishermen in this coastal area...
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| Visiting Quynh Long today, you'll see women diligently mending fishing nets in every village. They work in groups of 10-15 people, usually gathering at the boat owner's house. |
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| A popular choice among boat owners is a net made of good quality, square-shaped material that can completely encircle a school of fish during fishing. |
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In Quynh Long, every woman knows how to mend fishing nets because almost every family has a father or brother who goes to sea. Each fishing trip lasts from 5 to 10 days, so it's inevitable that the nets will get torn. Therefore, they have to carefully mend the nets to ensure they are ready for the next trip. |
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| This is also a traditional occupation passed down through generations, starting with mending nets for their family's boats, and now it has become a professional occupation for the women laborers here. |
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| This is a job suitable for all workers, so even elderly people can easily earn an income. |
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| Mr. Nguyen Ba Voi, from Phu Nien hamlet, spent his life venturing out to sea. Now over 70 years old, he still remembers the craft of mending fishing nets and making seine nets at home. |
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| Mrs. Tran Thi Vinh, from Dai Hai hamlet, is 70 years old but still helps mend fishing nets for her son's boat. |
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| Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa's net-mending team in Minh Thanh village (consisting of 10 workers specializing in mending and repairing fishing nets for boats in the commune and neighboring communes) uses very simple tools: just a net-weaving pin and a small knife. The job isn't difficult, but it requires perseverance, as the work involves sitting and weaving all day. The workers must weave the mesh evenly and tie the knots tightly to ensure the net is strong and doesn't lose fish during fishing at sea. |
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| Tools used for making gold seine nets. The net mending profession has created jobs for nearly 2000 workers in Quynh Long commune, raising the average per capita income of the commune to 33 million VND/year (higher than the average for both the district and the province). |
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| The price of a gold purse seine net is not cheap. It takes about 16 days to complete one set; labor costs alone range from 60 to 75 million VND per set; if ordered as a complete package, a set costs approximately 1 to 1.2 billion VND (depending on the size of the net to suit the size of the vessel). |
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| The process of tying and assembling the floats is considered the most difficult step when making a gold purse seine net. |
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| A gold seine net, favored by boat owners, is made of good quality, square-shaped material that can completely encircle a school of fish during fishing (nets used for fishing often come in many colors, such as red, white, and moss green). |
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| Besides serving the local net-making needs, the women also supply fishermen in An Hoa, Son Hai, and Tien Thuy communes (Quynh Luu district), and Quynh Lap ward (Hoang Mai town). It's also worth mentioning that, previously, whenever fishermen in Nghe An needed seine nets, they often had to rely on net makers from Thanh Hoa or Binh Dinh provinces. After becoming self-sufficient, the price of a set of nets has decreased by 15-20%. |
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| Since the development of the goldfish seine net making industry, the commune has gained a truly stable and thriving occupation, making a significant contribution to changing the lives of its people. |
My Ha - Ngoc Anh
