As dawn broke, Mr. Le Xuan Hieu and many other residents of Nam Lanh village (Phu Trach commune, Quang Tri province ) busily prepared their diving goggles and drinking water, then headed out in their basket boats to the waters of Quang Dong Bay, near Yen Island, to practice their profession of diving to harvest seaweed. "This is a profession unique to the fishermen in this coastal area. It happens once a year, providing a decent income for the villagers," Mr. Hieu said.
Mr. Le Xuan Hieu during a diving trip to harvest seaweed. Photo: TP.
Harvesting "gifts from heaven"
Mr. Hieu steered his basket boat out to sea, stopping and turning off the engine when he was about 500 meters from the shore. The sea in this area is shallow, with even the deepest parts only a little over a meter deep. In the morning, the tide recedes, the water is shallow, and the waves are small, making it ideal for diving to harvest seaweed.
Mr. Hieu explained that the seabed is covered with coral reefs, where seaweed grows and can reach several meters in length. "When diving, you assume a diving posture, meaning your head is facing the seabed, your feet move to maintain balance, and your hands reach along the seaweed stalks to pull them off at the roots."
Wearing goggles and taking a deep breath, Mr. Hieu leaned down into the deep blue sea and disappeared from view. Only bubbles rose to the surface. A moment later, dark green clumps of seaweed appeared on the water's surface. Then, Mr. Hieu surfaced, his hands cupping a large bundle of seaweed above his head to ease the current, before straining to toss it into the bottom of the small boat.
Without resting, Mr. Hieu thrashed his body like an otter and dived to the seabed. A little over a minute later, he surfaced again with a large pile of seaweed. He repeated this process more than a dozen times before climbing back onto the boat to drink some water and take a short rest. "Nowadays, many people in the village work as seaweed gatherers. They all need to be healthy and hardworking. Diving from shallow to deep becomes a habit after a while," Mr. Hieu explained.
Seaweed is harvested from the seabed. Photo: TP
About a few dozen paces away is where Mr. Le Van Nam (from the same village of Nam Lanh) is anchored.
Having finished harvesting at one spot, the fishermen move to another location, diligently and persistently searching for and picking clumps of seaweed from the seabed. This work continues until nearly noon, when the tide begins to rise, the waves grow larger, and the divers stop harvesting, returning to shore with their boats full of seaweed.
Bringing seaweed ashore to dry in the sun. Photo: TP.
Preserving resources
Waiting for the boats to dock, the locals quickly unload the seaweed and transport it to the dry sandy areas along the coast to dry. The seaweed is spread out in long rows on the sand. At this time, the sand is scorching hot, and combined with the characteristic burning sun of Central Vietnam, the seaweed dries very quickly. During the drying process, the locals constantly turn the seaweed over to ensure even drying. If the weather is favorable, the seaweed can be collected and sold by late afternoon.
Currently, high-quality dried seaweed is selling for 7,000 VND/kg. "The good news is that seaweed has never been unsold; there just isn't enough to sell. As soon as we harvest it, traders buy it all," Mr. Hieu said excitedly.
According to Mr. Le Van Nam, depending on each fishing trip, fishermen can harvest an average of 5-7 quintals of fresh seaweed. After drying, this yields around 2 quintals, which sells for 1.4 million VND. This is a significant source of income for the people in this coastal area.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Dong, one of the traders specializing in buying dried seaweed from the local people, most of the seaweed purchased from fishermen is resold to Chinese traders.
Dried seaweed, after being cleaned of sand, is sold for 7,000 VND/kg. Photo: TP
The seaweed harvesting season usually lasts from April to June of the lunar calendar each year. If conditions are favorable, each person can earn tens of millions of dong. "Luckily, no one in the area has ever died while harvesting seaweed. There have been times when boats full of seaweed capsized on the way back to shore due to large waves and strong winds, but the locals always provided timely assistance and rescue..." - local veteran fishermen said.
What's commendable is that the local people are all proactive in protecting this valuable resource. Without being told, all the fishermen know by heart the rule of not exploiting seaweed in a destructive way and not negatively impacting the marine environment. "Everyone knows to preserve the sea area where seaweed grows so that when the season comes, we can all harvest together. The bounty of the sea must be preserved," Mr. Hieu expressed.
Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/lan-bien-hai-rong-mo-d818973.html
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