Lac Sea - fishing season

Lac Lake is a natural lake not only associated with the name of Tanh Linh district, but for generations, this beautiful natural lake with an area of over 1,500 hectares has nourished many generations of people here.

With specialties such as freshwater fish such as: grouper, loach, black snakehead, fish, climbing fish, it is enough to make anyone who hears about it want to come back. To enjoy all these specialties, the people here have a very popular way of catching fish on the days when Lac beach is in the dry season, which is the profession of catching fish.

Every year at the beginning of the 12th lunar month, when the dry north winds blow, the rice fields along the Lac Sea coast have turned a lush green color, and the water in Lac Sea begins to dry up. That is when people in Gia An commune - Tanh Linh district are busy with the fish catching season.

The reason people choose this season as the season to catch fish is because the water surface area in Bien Lac Lake is only about 1,000 hectares and the place where fish can be released is only 1.6m deep, suitable for fishing. Bien Lac has a large water surface area, many places are more than 10m deep, so the number of fish is not concentrated but dispersed, so casting nets is often not very effective. The method of releasing fish is also known as building a house for fish to live in and then surrounding them with a net to catch them. Although this method is hard and takes a lot of effort, the harvest is effective and economically profitable.

We returned to Bien Lac on a late morning of the year. The sun had just passed the Ong mountain but was already golden as honey. Bien Lac lake was peaceful, hazy in the rays of sunlight penetrating the thin, drifting mist. The wind blew gently, each ripple lapped the boat, a few drops splashed on the body, cool. The poetic, affectionate scenery easily made people feel moved and wistful.

Mr. Hoang Van Can is from village 1, Gia An commune, Tanh Linh district. He has been catching catfish on Bien Lac lake for a long time. From the time he was a young man until he got married and struggled to make a living, catfish catching has followed him ever since. After more than 30 years of working, every time the catfish catching season comes, it is the happiest day in this job of eating foam.

Freshwater fishing, typically in Bien Lac Lake, is very different from saltwater fishing in the sea. Here, people cut down a lot of palm trees and coconut leaves 1.5 - 2 m long and put them in piles under the water until the palm trees emerge above the water surface. The place where the palm trees are put is about 2.6 - 2.7 m deep and the palm field has a circular diameter of about 5 - 8 m. In Bien Lac, there are 20 households making palm trees. Those who do less have more than 10 piles, most people have 20 piles each, but Mr. Can alone has nearly 30 piles and he catches them continuously every day until the Lunar New Year.

The way to catch fish in Bien Lac is quite similar to the way to catch fish at sea but on a smaller scale. To start, people cast a net around the pile of fish, one person stays on the boat, three people go down to the water to remove the fish from the net. To avoid getting cold, each person drinks a few sips of fish sauce to warm their bodies. The fish are gradually picked up and put aside to make a new net. The seine net is also getting tighter. The fish lose their net and lose their direction, wandering around and struggling in the net. The final step of catching fish is to surround the net to prevent the fish from escaping. At this time, people select and classify each type of fish to sell at the night market.

At noon, we went up to the fish raft to rest and watch the golden sunlight spread across the surface of Bien Lac Lake. The space was quiet and lonely. In the distance, the fishermen who fished by casting nets and rowing boats looked lonely and small.

The lunch of the fisherman is usually the fish they have just caught. Sipping a glass of wine, Mr. Can slowly told the story of Bien Lac Lake with regret but also with pride: In the past, Bien Lac Lake was very beautiful and majestic. Bien Lac was very big, the water was immense, there were many precious trees, trunks so big that two people could hug them, growing along the shore. In spring or summer, the orchids bloomed beautifully and fragrantly. In the past, there was nothing to do with the fish in Bien Lac Lake, there were even otters living there, but later people caught them all to death.

During the fishing season, a very interesting night market for freshwater fish is formed in Bien Lac. The fish caught in the morning are spread out in the lake to keep them fresh and then brought ashore to sell late at night. Usually at 11pm, boats loaded with fish run to shore. Here, traders are waiting and set prices for each type of fish and each size. This market usually ends at 2am the next morning. The traders spread out to the markets to sell, the fish catchers return to rest and prepare for the early morning fishing session.

Although fishing in Bien Lac is hard, it is fun. A fishing season can help people in the profession have a full and cozy Tet. In addition to economic benefits, this is a beautiful feature of the people in Bien Lac. During the fishing season, many tourists and friends come to visit and enjoy, so the fishermen in Bien Lac are always willing to give their guests the freshest fish.

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