The seafaring profession is "going backward".

Man Thai Beach is located next to Hoang Sa Street, Son Tra District, Da Nang City. The Man Thai beach area is bordered on both sides by the Son Tra mountain range, resulting in rarely large waves. This is a favorable natural advantage for the local tourism development and also provides ideal conditions for fishermen to exploit the fishing industry.

Trawl fishing is a method of catching seafood near the shore using nets. The nets enclose an area of ​​the sea, and a group of fishermen work together to pull the nets ashore to harvest the fish. Fishermen in the Man Thai sea area use trawl nets year-round, but the best times are early morning or late evening on calm days.

Seine fishing gear consists of a net wall, ranging in length from 500 to 1,000 meters, with the net wall height exceeding the water depth, and lead weights always close to the bottom and buoys always floating on the water surface.

As soon as the sun rises, the work of hauling in the seine net begins, with a group of about 15 male fishermen participating. The net is cast more than 1km from the shore in an arc shape. On the shore, this group divides into two teams standing on either side, pulling backward and then moving closer together as the net is brought ashore.

The men strained themselves pulling in the nets, their dark, calloused hands moving swiftly and their feet firmly planted on the sand.

The pulling motion involves gripping the net tightly with both hands, facing the sea, leaning backward, and pulling the net back and forth in a steady rhythm from the sea to the shore. Meanwhile, the women on shore have prepared their carrying poles, baskets, and containers to hold the freshly harvested fish.

The nets are pulled ashore with mainly fresh fish such as tuna, mackerel, scad, herring, pomfret, and krill. Krill are small shrimp, about 1-4cm long and reddish-brown in color; locals prefer to boil them or cook them in vegetable soups. On days when they catch a small amount of fish and krill, the fishermen share them among themselves or sell them all right on the beach to tourists and locals.

On days when they catch a good school of fish, they sort and sell them to traders at prices ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 VND/kg depending on the type. The daily wage for pulling the nets is around 500,000 VND per person, depending on the amount of fish caught.

The traditional trawling occupation of the fishermen in Man Thai ward has a long history. It's not just a means of livelihood, but also a "tightening thread" of community solidarity and neighborly affection. In recent years, the modern lifestyle amidst the whirlwind of urbanization has infiltrated every corner, causing a significant decrease in the number of people practicing this occupation. Currently, only two groups with over 30 people regularly practice this profession in Man Thai ward. Fish catches are also dwindling. This is one of the reasons why local people have to seek other jobs to make ends meet.

Heritage Magazine