The craft of removing brushwood - a beautiful cultural feature of the waterways of the Mekong Delta.

Removing brushwood is one of the traditional fishing methods, a distinctive cultural feature deeply rooted in the lives of the people living along the waterways of the Mekong Delta in general. In Dong Thap, many people still maintain this natural fishing method, creating a livelihood while contributing to the conservation and regeneration of aquatic resources.

People wrap nets around the pile of brushwood, pulling the branches out to catch fish and shrimp.

After about three months of piling brushwood along the canal leading to the So Ha River (bordering Prey Veng province, Cambodia), Mr. Cao Van Tam in Tan Hoa hamlet, Hong Ngu ward, hires additional laborers to dismantle the brushwood and harvest fish and shrimp. According to Mr. Tam, every year, after the floodwaters recede, his family begins piling brushwood along the canal near their house to raise fish and shrimp. The first harvest after the flood season usually yields the highest output, with each pile of brushwood potentially yielding about 1 ton of fish and shrimp, bringing in an income of around 10 million VND. Subsequent harvests throughout the year yield less, but still help the family improve their meals and earn extra income.

Residents of Hong Ngu ward ( Dong Thap province) dismantle fishing nets to catch fish and shrimp.

Having also been involved in the profession of removing brushwood traps for many years, Mr. Nguyen Van Phong in Binh Chanh hamlet, Hong Ngu ward, currently owns more than 10 brushwood traps along the Binh Thanh canal. According to him, the effectiveness of the profession does not depend on luck but requires the worker to understand the water currents and the habits of each fish species to choose the appropriate and efficient harvesting time. Mr. Phong said that more than 10 years ago, natural aquatic resources were abundant, with some brushwood traps yielding 2-3 tons of various fish. However, in recent years, the production of fish and shrimp has decreased significantly.

After wrapping a net around the pile of brushwood, the locals pull the net in to catch fish.

According to experienced fishermen, dismantling brushwood is a traditional method of fishing deeply rooted in the lives of people in the Mekong Delta region in general and Dong Thap province in particular. Brushwood is made from dry branches, mainly bamboo, water tamarind, and some locally available plants, piled up in heaps in rivers, canals, and streams. Stakes are driven around the brushwood heaps to prevent them from being swept away by the water, and also to provide shelter for fish and shrimp to live and thrive. Each brushwood heap typically covers an area of ​​20-40 m².

The job of dismantling fishing nets creates jobs for many laborers, with an income ranging from 400,000 to 500,000 VND per day (depending on the distance traveled).

Locals often build brushwood structures in deep water, near river mouths or river junctions. After building the brushwood, they cultivate water hyacinths to provide shade for aquatic life; they also add bait to attract fish and shrimp, such as roasted rice bran and commercial feed. Each brushwood pile is guarded to prevent illegal exploitation, especially fishing using electric shocks. This creates a safe "home" that attracts many fish species to live, breed, and grow. After 2 to 4 months, when the fish and shrimp have grown and gathered in large numbers, the locals then enclose the brushwood piles with nets and dismantle them for harvesting. This method both provides livelihoods for the people and contributes to maintaining natural aquatic resources.

Sometimes, when clearing a pile of fishing nets, locals harvest more than 1 ton of shrimp and various kinds of fish.

The dismantling of fish traps is usually done at low tide. This is when people can harvest many types of aquatic products such as freshwater prawns, catfish, snakehead fish, and many other freshwater fish. Because it requires a lot of labor, each time the traps are dismantled, relatives and neighbors usually participate in helping. Therefore, dismantling fish traps is not only a method of fishing, but also a long-standing community activity of the people living in the riverine areas of Dong Thap.

The locals removed the fish traps and caught many kinds of fish.

Having been involved in the work of building and dismantling brushwood piles for nearly 30 years, Mr. Nguyen Van Manh in Hong Ngu ward currently owns 7 brushwood piles and takes on brushwood dismantling jobs when he has time. According to Mr. Manh, this is a labor-intensive job, requiring participants to know how to swim and dive and have fishing skills. Whenever he takes on brushwood dismantling jobs, he gathers his group to work together. On average, one brushwood pile requires about 10 laborers and takes almost a full day's work, from 7 am to about 3 pm, with many steps such as wrapping nets around the pile, pulling the brushwood branches ashore, diving to catch fish and shrimp... Depending on the distance traveled and the amount of work, each laborer is paid from 300,000 to 500,000 VND per day.

Besides providing a livelihood for the people, the practice of dismantling fishing traps is also considered a distinctive cultural feature of the riverine communities in Dong Thap province. Based on this value, several organizations have incorporated the experience of dismantling traps to catch fish into their community tourism products.

The locals removed the fish traps and caught many kinds of fish.

According to Mr. Le Phuoc Tanh, Chairman of Thuan Tan Association (Cao Lanh ward), due to its proximity to the Tien River and the abundance of shrimp and fish, local people pile up brushwood along the riverbanks to create "homes" for fish and shrimp, which they harvest occasionally. The association has collaborated with relevant units and the owners of these brushwood piles to develop a tourism model of dismantling brushwood to catch fish, which has initially been well-received by tourists. This model has garnered initial interest from visitors, contributing to the promotion of the traditional culture of the riverine community to tourists from near and far, while also creating jobs and increasing income for the local people.

According to Dr. Vo Van Son, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Culture, Tourism and Social Work (Dong Thap University), from a cultural perspective, removing brushwood to catch fish is not simply a method of exploiting aquatic resources, but also a unique ecological cultural feature of the people of the Mekong Delta. This activity reflects the process of human adaptation to the riverine environment, the accumulation of folk knowledge about water levels, the habits of fish species, and natural laws over many generations.

The locals removed the fish traps and caught many kinds of fish.

Dismantling fishing traps is a distinctly community-oriented activity. Each time these traps are dismantled, many people participate, sharing the joy and the fruits of their labor, thereby strengthening community bonds and preserving the unique cultural characteristics of the riverine communities. In the current context, dismantling fishing traps needs to be preserved as a folk cultural heritage linked to sustainable fisheries; at the same time, it can be developed into a unique experiential tourism product, contributing to promoting the culture and livelihoods of the Southern region of Vietnam.

Nhut An (VNA)

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/nghe-do-cha-net-dep-van-hoa-song-nuoc-mien-tay-a206289.html