Waiting for the last tide of the season

"Mrs. Uncle" is not generous

Returning to the border area of An Giang in the morning of the middle of October of the lunar calendar, I suddenly noticed several fields of flood discharge at the end of the flood season. In the distant fields, the north wind blew gently, bringing a chill to the faces of passersby. The banks of Vinh Te canal, after several months of being submerged in alluvium, also emerged in the early morning sun.

Quickly throwing down the tarpaulin on the boat, Mr. Le Van Can, a resident of Thoi Son ward, could not hide his fatigue after a long night of fishing. Looking at the pile of all kinds of freshwater fish lying in layers under the boat's hold, he clicked his tongue: "It's already the middle of the 10th lunar month, but the salted fish are so weak! This year, the floodwaters have soaked the fields for quite a long time, but the fish are so poor. I took out the net from 2am until the sun was up high, but I only caught 2-3kg of salted fish, which I couldn't sell for much. At this rate, I'll probably have to "sharpen" it for another afternoon."

Fishermen in the border area of Vinh Te and Thoi Son are waiting for the last tide of the season. Photo: THANH TIEN

In Mr. Can's sigh is the worry that this year's fish are sparse, making net fishermen disappointed. According to him, only at the beginning of October, there are quite a lot of linh fish going upstream to Tha La and Tra Su sluices, people compete to catch them. They use electric shocks so they are dealt with by the authorities. He himself does not agree with the use of electric shocks to catch fish, because it is destructive. "I have been living with the profession of setting nets for decades, not rich but enough to eat. Now I am old, mainly going to nearby fields. Young people go to distant fields so they earn more. In general, this year, "Ba Cau" does not care much about net fishermen!", Mr. Can sighed.

Also following the fishing profession but attached to the net for more than 30 seasons, Mrs. Le Thi Ngo and her husband, residing in Thanh My Tay commune, also went against the road to the border region to find a way to make a living. The old couple set up nets on the banks of Tra Su canal to look for fish. Because setting up nets is a job of waiting for fish, they have to stay up all night to take advantage of the last tide of the season. “He has been watching the nets since last night and has not caught 10kg of fish, mainly anchovies, linh fish, silver carp... about 2-3 fingers in size. I bring them to the market to sell for 30,000 - 40,000 VND/kg, earning 200,000 - 300,000 VND/day. My husband and I are old, if we try for a few more years, we probably won't be able to set up a net anymore!”, Mrs. Ngo confided.

According to Mrs. Ngo, climbing perch, snakehead fish, loach fish... have higher prices, from 100,000 - 120,000 VND/kg, but are very rare. "The current water level has not increased much for those types of fish. My husband and I will wait for the water level on October 25th of the lunar calendar, which will probably be better. We work as net fishermen, so we have to be patient to make a living," Mrs. Ngo said honestly.

Expectation of prosperity

For those who fish like Mr. Can or Mrs. Ngo, the last tide of the season is their great hope. Thanks to that tide, they will save up some money to buy things for the house to celebrate Tet. “Last year, there weren’t many fish in mid-October. At the end of the 11th lunar month, the fish ran strong, so last year my family had a good Tet. At that time, the fish were big so it was easy to weigh for the sellers. The remaining fish were weighed for people to make fish sauce,” Mrs. Ngo said.

Mrs. Ngo said that in the past, fishing was very exciting. Every time they fished, their hands were tired. Sometimes they caught too many fish, so they had to throw the net away for fear of breaking the net. At the end of the flood season, fishing always caught fish, so sometimes people just left it alone. “In the past, there were a lot of fish, but it was just enough to live on, because everyone caught a large amount. If there were too many fish to sell at the market, they would make fish sauce. There were seasons when I made dozens of jars, and I could still eat them until the next flood season. Gradually, the flood season also reduced the fish, so people who fished with nets found other ways to make a living. My husband and I had our own fishing gear, so we kept it until now,” Mrs. Ngo explained.

The results of fishermen's hard work. Photo: THANH TIEN

Like Mrs. Ngo, Mr. Can also waits until the end of the flood season to save up money. Having lived in this border area since childhood, he has been attached to the Vinh Te canal and the flood season for almost his entire life. He understands the flood season like he understands an old friend. Although his "friend" is no longer the same as before, he can still support his family. "Last year, I also saved a few million dong for Tet. I don't know how long I have left, so I try to do this silver job. I also heard my grandparents say "first destroy the forest, second kill the river god". I chose to live with the river god, so I have to endure the hardship," Mr. Can confided.

Explaining why the water level at the end of the season is no longer generous, Mr. Can said that current rice cultivation uses too many pesticides, so the fish cannot survive in the fields. The fish at the beginning of the season cannot survive, they cannot lay eggs even though the fields are still flooded. That is also the reason why "Ba Cau" is increasingly "unruly and contrary" to the fishermen.

Currently, Mr. Can plans to hire people to pile up the sand along the Tha La canal to catch fish at the end of the season. He still hopes that this year's tide will bring a better income. "Last year I did the same thing so I earned a little at the end of the season. This year I will do the same, hoping that "Ba Cau" will be kind to me so that my family will not lack anything in the new year," Mr. Can hopes.

THANH TIEN

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/doi-con-nuoc-cuoi-mua-a469335.html