Wait for the last tide of the season.

"Grandma and Uncle" are not generous.

Returning to the An Giang border region on a morning in mid-October of the lunar calendar, I suddenly noticed several flooded rice fields at the end of the flood season. In the distance, a gentle north wind blew, carrying a chill that brushed against the faces of passersby. The banks of the Vinh Te canal, after months submerged in silt, also emerged in the early morning sun.

Quickly throwing down the tarpaulin covering his boat, Mr. Le Van Can, a resident of Thoi Son ward, couldn't hide his exhaustion after a long night of tireless fishing. Looking at the pile of various types of freshwater fish stacked in the boat's hold, he sighed: "It's already mid-October in the lunar calendar, and the fish are still not coming! This year, the water level rose and the fields were flooded for quite a while, but the fish are scarce. I've been pulling nets from 2 AM until the sun is high in the sky, and I've only caught 2-3 kg of small, meager fish, which won't sell for much. At this rate, I'll probably have to work out another day at lunchtime."

Fishermen in the border areas of Vinh Te and Thoi Son are eagerly awaiting the last tide of the season. Photo: THANH TIEN

In Mr. Can's sigh was the worry that this year's fish catch would be scarce, leaving fishermen disappointed. According to him, only in early October do the snakehead fish swim upstream into the Tha La and Tra Su canals in large numbers, and people scramble to catch them. They use electric shocks, which leads to penalties from authorities. He himself disagrees with the use of electric shocks to catch fish, as it is destructive. "I've been making a living fishing with nets for decades. I'm not rich, but I have enough to eat. Now that I'm older, I mainly fish in nearby fields. The younger people go fishing in more distant fields, so they earn more. Overall, this year the 'Goddess of the Sea' isn't very kind to the fishermen!" Mr. Can sighed.

Also a traditional fisherman, but with a net-making tradition spanning over 30 seasons, Mrs. Le Thi Ngo and her husband, residents of Thanh My Tay commune, also made their way to the border region to seek a livelihood. The elderly couple set up their nets along the Tra Su canal to catch fish. Because setting nets is a job that relies on waiting for the fish, they have to stay up all night to take advantage of the late-season tides. “My husband has been watching the nets since last night and hasn’t caught even 10kg of fish, mostly small fish like carp and catfish… about 2-3 fingers long. I sell them at the market for 30,000-40,000 VND/kg, earning 200,000-300,000 VND a day. My husband and I are old now; if we try for a few more years, we probably won’t be able to set up the nets anymore!” Mrs. Ngo confided.

According to Mrs. Ngo, catfish, snakehead fish, and eel are more expensive, ranging from 100,000 to 120,000 VND/kg, but they are very rare. "These types of fish aren't abundant in this current tide. My husband and I are waiting for the tide around the 25th of the 10th lunar month; things will probably be better then. We make a living by fishing with nets, so we have to be patient to survive," Mrs. Ngo said honestly.

Expectations of prosperity

For fishermen like Mr. Can and Mrs. Ngo, the late-season tide is a great source of hope. Thanks to that tide, they can accumulate enough money to buy things for the Lunar New Year. "Last year, there weren't many fish in mid-October. But by the end of November in the lunar calendar, the fish started to swim strongly, so my family had a pretty good Lunar New Year last year. At that time, the fish were big, so it was easy to weigh them for buyers. The leftovers were sold to people who made fish sauce," Mrs. Ngo recounted.

Ms. Ngo said that fishing with nets used to be very exciting. Each time they pulled up the nets, their arms ached from scooping up the fish. Sometimes, they'd hit a school of fish so abundantly that they'd have to discard the nets for fear of breaking the traps. At the end of the flood season, the nets always caught fish, so sometimes people would just leave them untouched. "Back then, there were a lot of fish, but only enough to live on, because everyone caught a large quantity. If there was too much fish to sell at the market, they'd make fish sauce. One season, I made dozens of jars of fish sauce, enough to last until the next flood season. Gradually, the fish became scarcer during the flood season, and those who used to fish with nets found other ways to make a living. My husband and I had the fishing gear we already had, so we've continued using it to this day," Ms. Ngo explained.

The fruits of the fishermen's labor after a period of hard work. Photo: THANH TIEN

Like Mrs. Ngo, Mr. Can also waits until the end of the flood season to accumulate his earnings. Having lived in this border region since childhood, he has been connected to the Vinh Te canal and the flood season for almost his entire life. He understands the flood season as well as a long-time friend. Although the "friend" is no longer the same as before, it can still support his family. "Last year, I also saved a few million dong for Tet. I don't know how much longer I have left, so I'm trying my best with this fishing profession. You've heard our elders say, 'First, destroy the mountains and forests; second, challenge the river god.' I choose to live with the river god, so I have to endure the hardship," Mr. Can confided.

Explaining why the late-season floodwaters are no longer as generous, Mr. Can said that current rice cultivation uses too many pesticides, so fish cannot survive in the flooded fields. Fish that come into the fields at the beginning of the season cannot survive, and therefore cannot lay eggs even though the fields are still flooded. This is also the reason why the "Bà Cậu" (a local deity associated with the water) is becoming increasingly "unpleasant and difficult" to deal with fishermen.

Currently, Mr. Can plans to hire people to pile up brushwood along the Tha La canal to catch fish at the end of the season. He still hopes that this year's water level will bring a better income. "Last year I did the same thing and earned a little bit at the end of the season. This year I'll do the same, hoping that the Goddess will be merciful so that my family won't lack anything in the new year," Mr. Can hoped.

THANH TIEN

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