Village of farmers on the banks of the Hau River

Fishing boat docked at the fish selling dock

Bustling in the deep river

Early in the morning, the Hau River is full of water. Fishermen sail their fishing boats out to the river to catch fish. The continuous sound of the engine makes the whole deep river noisy. After a long time of wandering on the river, the fishermen bring their fishing boats to the dock, bringing shrimp and fish to sell to the people. We took the opportunity to be present at the road along the Hau River (Binh My commune, Chau Phu district) in the slanting noon sun. From the riverbank, women carry basins of fish and sit in groups in the empty land waiting for people to buy them to prepare for dinner. Stopping by the roadside, we walked around to see the women here selling the specialty of fish and shrimp that had just been caught.

The fish and shrimp were still alive and jumping, looking very delicious. For a long time, the Hau River has been a habitat for many aquatic species, feeding many fishermen. This season, fishermen caught buffalo tongue fish, silver carp, alum fish, catfish, goby fish, sweet potato fish, shrimp, prawns... These types of fish can be processed into any delicious and nutritious dish. While struggling to choose a batch of fish to braise with pepper, we were surprised to see a basket of sweet potato fish the size of a little finger, very fresh and delicious. In the past, only when the flood came did this type of fish appear in the fields. In years of high floods, sweet potato fish reproduced so much that they could not be eaten, so people had to dry them for storage. However, in recent years, this source of fish has become scarce.

Seeing our curiosity, the fish sellers explained that in the dry season, the fish return to the deep rivers. When heavy rains fall on the fields, the schools of silverfish at the bottom of the water begin to look for a place to spawn. When the flood comes, they migrate to the fields to spawn, then grow larger with the water. Perhaps, all year round, people are used to exploiting many types of fish in the river, so they are very familiar with the characteristics of these delicious fish. Quickly buy the plump, jumping silverfish for 100,000 VND/kg. If this type of silverfish were sold in urban markets, it would be priced at 250,000 VND/kg. We asked, why is it so cheap? The sellers chuckled: “Homegrown, garden leaves” my friend! We can exploit this type of fish, so we sell it at a reasonable price for people to buy and prepare meals.”

Fisherman choosing fish on the boat

Crowded market

All year round, the Mekong Delta reflects the lives of many fishermen who earn their living by catching fish and shrimp to feed their families. In the afternoon, the sun is fading, looking into the distance, the fishing boats are cutting through the water and noisily docking at the market. The fishermen are carrying heavy nets of fish and shrimp to the shore to sell to the female traders. The sound of the engine running on the river blends with the shouts of fishermen competing to buy fish, creating a bustling market atmosphere. I met Mr. Nguyen Van Viet sitting leisurely on the boat's deck after hours of hard work raking fish on the river. Mr. Viet said that he has entered his "sixties", but because of his poor circumstances, he has to work hard to make a living by "silvering".

Pointing to the fishing village on the island, Mr. Viet said that all year round, the people there have no land for production, mainly living by fishing and fishing, which has been passed down through many generations. In the past, the river was full of fish and shrimp, and this fishing village had a stable income thanks to the natural source of shrimp and fish. In recent years, more and more people have been fishing, so the fish output has gradually decreased. Mr. Viet himself can fish more than ten kilos of various types of fish every day, earning more than 400,000 VND/day, after deducting all expenses. "This season, the fishing boat mainly harvests sú, cá kết, cá Sát, phen, shrimp, and prawns... Some days, when the water is flooded with migratory fish, he can earn millions of dong" - Mr. Viet said excitedly.

While chatting with Mr. Viet, we suddenly saw many trawlers continuing to dock. Mr. Viet said that these trawlers only use Thai nets with thin meshes and do not use prohibited fishing gear. Thanks to that, there are still many fish species taking refuge in the deep river sections. “Trawling with Thai nets is also a matter of luck! Some days, we catch very little fish and shrimp. If fishermen fish healthily, the river itself will feed their families,” Mr. Viet confided.

Passing by Mr. Tai's raking boat, we observed the workers trying to bail water from the boat's hold to catch fish. Mr. Tai is a resident of Pho Ba islet (My Hoa Hung commune), who makes a living by raking fish with Thai nets all year round. Seeing our interest in asking about his business, Mr. Tai honestly said that today was a good day, so the harvest of fish and shrimp was quite abundant. Currently, there are some sections of the Hau River that still have deep holes that are shelters for many delicious fish species. Near the head of My Hoa Hung islet, the area on the river is large, with abundant sources of silver carp, silver carp, scad, and toad fish.

However, Mr. Tai said that to be able to rake deep places, the rake boat must be large and the engine must run very strongly to pull the net through deep holes. “Sometimes the rake handle gets stuck in deep abysses, almost sinking the boat. When passing through such places, we have to quickly reduce the engine speed so that the boat can slowly pass. Thanks to this experience, I catch a lot of fish and earn over 500,000 VND/day,” said Mr. Tai. Like any job, to earn honest money, you have to sweat, work hard, and spend effort. The same goes for fishermen who make a living by raking fish, they work hard to earn money through their own diligent labor.

Now that nature is no longer generous, people are more aware of protecting aquatic resources in the river sections by exploiting traditional fishing gear. Many people confide that they exploit healthily so that in the future they will still have fish and shrimp to make a living.

LUU MY

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/xom-cao-ven-song-hau-a421139.html