Following the Lunar New Year holiday of the Year of the Dragon, fishermen in the province are now busily heading out to sea, hoping for a year of calm seas and abundant catches of shrimp and fish.
Many fishing boats from Quang Tri province had a bumper catch of yellowfin tuna during their first fishing trips of 2024 - Photo: HA
From early morning, the beach in My Thuy village, Hai An commune, Hai Lang district, was bustling with the laughter and chatter of fishermen returning from their first fishing trip, as well as traders and relatives waiting on the shore. Fisherman Vo Viet Thang (55 years old) from My Thuy village, busily removing green crabs from his nets and placing them into styrofoam boxes for sale to traders, excitedly shared that the weather in the days following the Lunar New Year was very favorable, so fishermen in the coastal area took advantage of the opportunity to go out to sea. His family's boat, along with his crew, had been out at sea since the third day of Tet, catching seafood using crab nets. Since their first fishing trip, his family's boat has earned an average income of 1-2 million VND per trip from crab net fishing.
It is evident that the traditional coastal fishing occupation of the fishermen in Hai An commune has been effectively maintained from the past to the present, thereby creating a stable source of income. Especially during the Lunar New Year, many fishermen in Hai An commune diligently went out to sea, earning a relatively high income to improve their lives. From the very first fishing trips of the year, many fishermen caught various valuable seafood species such as green crabs, star crabs, cuttlefish, jellyfish, etc. Although the catch volume was not large, the higher-than-normal selling prices compensated for it, making the fishermen very enthusiastic as they embarked on the new fishing season.
From the third day of the Lunar New Year (Year of the Dragon), many fishermen in Gio Hai commune, Gio Linh district, have been busy preparing for their first fishing trip of the year. Fisherman Nguyen Minh The (49 years old) from Hamlet 5, Gio Hai commune, said that according to the beliefs of fishermen in the coastal region, the first "opening of the sea" trip of the year is very important, bringing a smooth start, a new year of calm seas, and a prosperous life. Therefore, the fishermen of Gio Hai commune have been "opening the sea" since the third day of the Lunar New Year.
On February 17th (the 8th day of the first lunar month), many fishermen in Hamlet 5, including Mr. The's family, had a successful herring catch, earning several million dong after their fishing trip. From 3-4 am, Mr. The sailed out to sea to cast his nets for herring. Around 8 am, when he started pulling up the nets, he saw herring completely caught. He quickly pulled the nets onto the boat and brought them ashore, then mobilized his family to remove the herring and sell it to traders, with a yield of nearly 400 kg of herring, priced between 10,000 and 12,000 dong per kg.
Reportedly, on February 17th alone, fishermen in Gio Hai commune, with about 10 boats, caught approximately 2-3 tons of herring using drag nets. Gio Hai commune currently has about 200 fishing vessels, including 12 offshore fishing boats. The plan for 2024 is for fishermen in Gio Hai commune to achieve a total catch of approximately 1,850 tons of various seafood.
Not only fishermen from the coastal areas, but also dozens of offshore fishing vessels from Trieu An commune, Trieu Phong district; Gio Viet commune and Cua Viet town, Gio Linh district have begun gathering at Cua Viet fishing port to load and unload fishing gear, food, and refuel... taking advantage of favorable weather to set sail and fish from the 4th day of the first lunar month.
According to fisherman Duong Van Diet from Xuan Tien village, Gio Viet commune, Gio Linh district, who owns the offshore fishing vessel QT - 93331 TS with a capacity of 400 horsepower, in the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, fishermen in Gio Viet commune and Cua Viet town, Gio Linh district, have had a bumper catch of yellowfin tuna, barramundi, and many other types of seafood. From the 4th day of the first lunar month until now, many offshore fishing vessels from Gio Viet commune have set sail to "open the sea" for the new year.
Many fishing trips in the fishing grounds around Con Co Island have returned to port with catches ranging from 1 to 4 tons of yellowfin tuna, scad, and anchovies. Mr. Duong Van Diet's offshore fishing boat alone caught over 3 tons of scad before the Lunar New Year, selling it to traders and earning nearly 50 million VND. On the 6th day of the first lunar month, Mr. Diet's boat began its first fishing trip of the year. After a few trips, his boat earns tens of millions of VND per trip from the trawling method.
According to Hoang Thi Thu Thuy, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Gio Viet commune, the fishermen of Gio Viet commune are expected to officially hold the "opening of the sea" ceremony on the 16th day of the first lunar month. However, thanks to favorable weather, many boats and vessels of Gio Viet commune fishermen have been going out to sea to catch seafood since the 4th day of the first lunar month. Currently, Gio Viet commune has 128 fishing and seafood service vessels with a total capacity of 19,054 horsepower.
Since January 17th, local fishermen have been reaping abundant catches of yellowfin tuna, barracuda, and other fish. On average, each fishing trip (lasting 1-3 days) yields 1-7 tons of fish per boat. With selling prices of around 70,000 VND/kg for yellowfin tuna and 14,000-15,000 VND/kg for barracuda, fishermen have earned hundreds of millions of VND. From January 2024 to the present, the total seafood catch in Gio Viet commune has exceeded 700 tons.
Along the coast in the early days of the new year, one can feel the joyful and enthusiastic atmosphere of fishermen who have spent their lives braving the waves and winds during the "opening of the sea" season. Depending on whether it's a coastal area or an estuary, as well as the type of fishing, boat owners choose a day to hold a ceremony to "open the sea" and welcome the "bounty of the sea" at the beginning of the year. The "opening of the sea" ceremony can be as simple as preparing necessary supplies and offering incense to the gods of the land and sea... then starting the engine and heading out to sea to cast nets for good luck in the new year.
In some places, the "opening of the sea" ceremony is held solemnly with the procession of the sea god and the sacred whale into the village temple. From the early morning of a designated "auspicious day," the elders, respected individuals, and a large number of fishermen in the village gather at the village temple to perform rituals to worship the earth god. Afterwards, the elders and respected individuals board boats and go out to sea (about 1-2 nautical miles from the shore) to perform the ceremony of bringing the sea god and the whale back to the village temple.
Next, a thanksgiving ceremony to the sea god and the whale god is held at the village temple to pray for peace and safety during the fishermen's voyages. After the ceremony, all fishermen in the village, depending on their family's circumstances, will perform rituals to bless their boats and docks before embarking on their first fishing trip of the year. All of this reflects their wish for safe, fortunate, and successful voyages at the beginning of the year.
Hai An
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