Nearly 30 years ago, people from Da Loc commune, Hau Loc, Thanh Hoa went to Nam Dinh and Thai Binh to pick up mangrove fruits to grow and plant on the beach. Now, the dense mangroves block the waves and hold back the mud. The whole fertile space promises a green ecosystem…
Surfing the swamp to get the blessing of heaven
The clock struck 12 noon. In the mangrove forest, silhouettes of people hunched over the muddy alluvial plains could be seen, using wooden planks. The planks were quite large, about 30cm wide and over a meter long. Locals jokingly called these planks “Sea Hondas”.
The sea-going Honda can help them move easily on the subsidence in the mangrove forest and transport the products they collect.
People make a living in the coastal mangrove forest of Da Loc commune, Hau Loc district, Thanh Hoa .
In front of me, the figures of people, covered up, were slowly gliding towards the shore. Most of them were women or old men who could not go far out to sea, but only made a living around the shore, in this recently formed coastal forest.
On the embankment, standing next to us, there were 4 or 5 traders waiting to buy goods. On the sea side, people left their “sea Honda” one by one, carrying heavy bags full of aquatic products such as mussels, clams, crabs, etc.
These have become a specialty dish of coastal localities in Hau Loc (Thanh Hoa) and are increasingly sought after by customers.
We asked the woman over 60 years old, with a haggard face. She said her name was Bui Thi Doi. Wondering why the heavy wooden cart could still float in the mud, Mrs. Doi said: “ It’s easy, easier than riding a Honda on the shore. Just put it down, shake it, pedal like rowing a boat and it will float .”
Today, this is the second time Mrs. Doi has come ashore to weigh mussels and spiral snails. The first time she weighed and sold more than 3kg of mussels and nearly 5kg of spiral snails, earning nearly 200,000 VND. This time, the sun was high in the sky, her bag was full, she came back early to weigh on time. With the same quantity as last time, she sold nearly 300,000 VND.
The expansion of mangrove forests in Da Loc has created a good source of income for local people.
“ I have been doing this job since I was 20 years old. When I was young, I raised my children, now I raise my grandchildren (their parents divorced and went to work far away - PV). It is very hard and miserable. But thinking back, I am 63 years old, I am old, doing business like this is enough ”, she said, showing us the money she earned today.
Mrs. Doi is from Ninh Phu village, Da Loc commune. In the past, when she first started her job as a crab and fisherman, when she entered the forest, she had to leave footprints to find her way out, otherwise she would get lost.
Having been attached to the alluvial plains in this mangrove forest for more than 40 years, the paths in the alluvial plain area have become as familiar to her as every corner of her house. From spring to summer, she is here almost every day. Every morning at 3am, wearing boots and gloves, she carries her Honda, bucket, and net bag into this forest.
Mrs. Bui Thi Doi, a resident of Ninh Phu village, Da Loc commune.
Mrs. Doi said she has been attached to and dependent on this place because her husband has been sick and has been at home for the past 24 years. When he is well, he goes out early to earn some money, but when he is sick, he stays home and spends all his savings. As for herself, after many years of struggling in the forest, she is now seriously ill.
Recently, she used her near-poor household insurance to go to Hanoi for a check-up and was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer. We asked her why she didn’t seek treatment but instead went into the forest to catch crabs and snails. She said, “We don’t have money for medicine. We just took a risk. If you’re hungry, you have to crawl!”
Wherever the forest opens, there is a source of life for the people.
After selling her wares, Mrs. Doi sat down and showed us how to find and catch mussels: “ Mussels usually nest underground. Catching these specialties is really difficult. Only experienced people can discover where their nests are, how they move, and which areas they live in. Their nests are under the mangrove tree. When a mussel comes in to nest, it will leave footprints, which is the mussel cave. To catch it, sometimes you have to dive down and dig as deep as your arm to get there .”
Although it is hard work, earning 300 - 500 thousand VND/day from this mangrove forest is something that Mrs. Doi and many people here feel very satisfied with. And what makes them happier is that while in the mountains, the forest is increasingly narrowed and cleared, here, the forest is increasingly expanding.
According to surveys by the agricultural sector and localities, mangrove forests have the effect of raising the ground, like a green wall protecting the sea dike. Through the storm and flood season, high tides, the sea dike sections protected by mangrove forests are not eroded, contributing to the prevention of natural disasters. For people, especially women, mangrove forests bring significant aquatic and marine resources and livelihoods. In coastal localities, from the people to the leaders of communes and districts, everyone clearly recognizes the important role of planting new and expanding mangrove forests.
Not only looking for mussels, crabs, snails, and clams under the mud of the mangrove forest like Mrs. Doi, many families in Da Loc have started to earn a lot of money from the tops of mangrove trees by raising bees, sucking nectar to get honey. Even, because the forest area is large and has many flowers, during the mangrove blooming season (from April to August every year), groups of migratory beekeepers also come here to collect honey.
We visited the house of Mr. Tran Thanh Duy, former Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Da Loc commune, in charge of Da Loc forest for over 30 years.
Mr. Duy said that since the formation of the mangrove forest, it has been able to prevent waves during storms. In addition to preventing waves, the forest also retains mud. This is also where seafood lives, creating a source of livelihood for many households around the area.
“ In the early days, we had to go to Nam Dinh and Thai Binh to get mangrove fruits to grow and deliver to the Youth Union and Women’s Union for planting. Now the mangrove forest in Da Loc has grown to nearly 500 hectares ,” said Mr. Duy, a bright smile on his sunburnt face.
Vice Chairman of Da Loc Commune People's Committee Vu Van Trung said that every year, the mangrove forests along the Hau Loc coast are still expanding. The large area, along with suitable salinity, is considered an ideal place for snails, clams, crabs, mussels, etc. to reproduce and develop all year round. Thanks to that, people can go fishing all four seasons...
(Source: Tien Phong)
Source
Comment (0)