Offshore and inshore waters are home to the barramundi, a species of fish that fishermen call the "dragon-bodied sea fish" due to its long, shimmering silver body and fins running along its back. Currently, it's barramundi fishing season, and many fishermen in the province are earning a good income from catching this fish using super-tangled gillnets.
Traders buying tuna at Cua Tung Fishing Port - Photo: HA
Sacred fish
While meticulously mending his tangled fishing nets in preparation for a fishing trip, fisherman Tran Viet Thanh from Hamlet 4, Gio Hai Commune, Gio Linh District, mentioned the oarfish (also known as paddlefish or flagfish). He explained that in the spiritual beliefs of coastal fishermen, this fish is considered sacred. When oarfish are stranded on the shore, fishermen always bury them and build shrines to worship them. Because amidst the cold, dark nights or stormy weather, fishermen in distress always cling to a glimmer of hope and belief in the rescue provided by this fish.
Many fishermen who have spent almost their entire lives at sea in coastal villages along the coastal area from Hai Khe commune (Hai Lang district) to Vinh Thai commune (Vinh Linh district) still recount stories about the rescue provided by the barracuda; on occasions when these fish "stranded on the shore," the fishermen buried them with the utmost respect...
The oarfish, which fishermen bury and worship, is characterized by its silvery-white body with many green spots, measuring approximately 4-8 meters in length; it has a red fin on its back and a long tuft of whiskers on its head... When an oarfish washes ashore, on that same day, the village elders begin the task of finding a dry, elevated piece of land near the sea to set up an altar and offer prayers to the gods and spirits of the land, asking for permission to bury the oarfish.
The burial site must have an open area with a sea view. The burial ceremony for the dragonfish is a grand affair lasting three days. Every year, during the Lunar New Year, the village holds a lavish thanksgiving ceremony to pray for favorable weather, abundant harvests of shrimp and fish...
A profession that yields high economic returns.
Returning from a fishing trip using super-tangled gillnets that lasted nearly five days and nights in the fishing grounds around Con Co Island, fisherman Bui Dinh Hung from Ward 7, Cua Viet town, Gio Linh district, said that in recent years, many fishermen in Cua Viet town, Gio Viet and Gio Hai communes (Gio Linh district), and Cua Tung town (Vinh Linh district) have invested in purchasing super-tangled gillnets to catch tuna and many other types of seafood.
Super tangled gillnets are made from single-strand PE yarn (usually thinner than regular tangled gillnets), so when the net is dropped into seawater, the yarn unravels to form many small clumps that match the color of the seawater, making it easier for tuna to get caught.
Previously, fishermen caught barracuda using nylon nets or longline fishing, but the catch was low and the economic efficiency was not high. Barracuda resembles an eel in shape, with a pointed snout, slightly large eyes, a wide mouth, many separate molars, and small teeth in both jaws.
Adult barramundi range in length from 0.7 to 1.2 meters and weigh from 0.8 to 2 kg (some barramundi can reach 3 to 4 kg). Those caught using super-tangle gillnets in the fishing grounds around Con Co Island (about 40-50 nautical miles from the shore) are typically 1 to 1.2 meters long and weigh 1 to 2 kg, making them highly valuable economically.
Tuna live in the open sea at depths of approximately 70-100 meters. From November of the previous year to March (lunar calendar) of the following year, tuna usually appear in schools in nearshore waters. Therefore, tuna can be caught year-round in offshore waters.
According to Mr. Thanh, although the method of catching grouper using super-tangle gillnets is not as common as purse seine fishing, trawling, or other similar methods, the economic benefits are no less significant.
For example, from the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Dragon - 2024 until now, his 400 HP offshore fishing vessel has made 4 trips catching grouper using super-tangle gillnets in the fishing grounds around Con Co Island, with an average catch of 6-8 quintals of grouper per trip; with the current market price ranging from 100,000 to 120,000 VND/kg, each trip brings in an income of 70-100 million VND.
In previous years, tuna was purchased by traders at prices ranging from 150,000 to 200,000 VND/kg for export to China. Currently, tuna is only consumed in the domestic market at prices from 100,000 to 120,000 VND/kg. Although the tuna fishing method using super-tangle gillnets is highly economically efficient, fishermen in Quang Tri still face difficulties in securing capital to invest in additional fishing gear. Currently, the maximum length of super-tangle gillnets used by offshore fishing vessels is only 2-5 nautical miles.
While fishermen from provinces such as Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh, and Quang Binh, when fishing in the waters around Con Co Island, always use nets with a length of 8-10 nautical miles; the catch is therefore double that of offshore fishing vessels from Quang Tri, and each fishing trip for tuna brings in an income of 1-2 billion VND, which is commonplace for fishermen.
According to fisherman Ho Si Duong in Dong Luat village, Vinh Thai commune, Vinh Linh district, grouper is one of the most economically valuable seafood species, providing a source of income for fishermen in the coastal area, with each fishing trip yielding several million dong. Now, during the stormy season, many fishermen in the coastal area of Dong Luat village have to go out to sea the day before to check the water color, waves, and wind direction to predict the ocean currents, and then decide what time to set sail at night.
Typically, around 4-5 a.m. the following morning, fishermen from Dong Luat village begin heading out to sea in their boats. The fishing grounds for the inshore grouper are only about 1-2 nautical miles from the shore, so by the time they've cast their nets, dawn is breaking. At this point, the biting cold truly penetrates the fishermen's skin. Only when they pull up the nets, revealing the shimmering silver of the "dragon-bodied sea fish," does the cold disappear without a trace...
Hai An
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