Mudskipper, a wild animal, in Ca Mau, people hunt in the mangrove forest as thrilling as a detective movie

Mr. Nguyen Van Yen, in Cai Moi hamlet, Dat Mui commune, Ngoc Hien district (Ca Mau province), has been involved in catching mudskippers for more than 20 years.

According to him, in the past, there were countless mudskippers in the alluvial plains, but few people processed this fish into food, so the price was quite cheap.

In recent years, especially since the mudskipper was recognized as the Dat Mui - Ca Mau mudskipper brand, this unique and strange fish has become famous far and wide, its economic value has skyrocketed, bringing in a large source of income for those who work as fish hunters.

Mr. Yen said there are many ways to catch fish, such as digging holes, fishing, but the most popular and effective is to set up traps.

Previously, the net was made of water coconut leaves woven together in a conical shape, but this tool was quite heavy, cumbersome, and difficult to move in the forest, so fish hunters researched and created the net.

Mr. Nguyen Van Yen (right cover), Dat Mui commune, Ngoc Hien district (Ca Mau province) and his son go into the mangrove forest to hunt mudskippers.

The net has a round mouth, ringed with lead wire or flexible rubber tube, diameter from 25-30 cm, net length about 70 cm. The net is also formed in a pyramid shape, tied firmly at the top, making it easy for fish to get in but difficult to get out.

Mudskippers, the strangest animal on the planet, can both swim underwater and climb trees in Ca Mau. (Photo: Internet).

Every day, watching for low tide, Mr. Yen and his son run a sampan along the mangrove forest and alluvial plains to set up traps to catch fish.

According to Mr. Yen’s experience, when the tide is low, mudskippers make shelters on the alluvial flats or under mangrove forests. Just press the trap tightly at the mouth of the hole, after about 15 minutes, the fish will come up to breathe or look for food and will easily fall into the trap.

With more than 200 traps, Mr. Yen and his son catch 5-7 kg of mudskippers every day, sometimes nearly ten kilos of mudskippers.

He sells large fish to restaurants and eateries serving tourists, and small fish to mudskipper farmers. The selling price depends on the size, ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 VND/kg, helping the family cover expenses.

Mudskippers breed all year round, but the peak is from February to June of the lunar calendar when the fish breed in large numbers, so hunting is most effective. Currently, mudskippers have become a famous specialty of the Ca Mau region, processed into many delicious dishes such as braised in clay pot, sour soup with fermented rice, grilled with salt and chili, dried...

Fish is not only consumed strongly locally but also exported to many provinces and cities across the country, even exported abroad through unofficial channels.

In particular, visitors from far away all want to see and taste the unique delicious flavor of this unique fish. Therefore, the households doing this job do not have to worry about the output.

Mudskippers are popular in the market, and Ca Mau people have exported this strangest fish species on the planet to many places.

Currently, the mudskipper symbol has been built in the Ca Mau Cape Tourist Area, attracting many tourists to take souvenir photos. To give tourists the opportunity to explore, witness and catch this fish, community ecotourism sites in the area have combined mudskipper hunting activities, attracting many tourists to participate.

Mr. Vo Cong Truong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dat Mui Commune, Ngoc Hien District (Ca Mau Province) said: "Skippers have economic value, bringing jobs and income to many households.

However, the difficulty is that this fish species mainly breeds in the wild, so the commune has stepped up propaganda to households that only exploit fish that reach the right size.

In addition, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ngoc Hien district, aquaculture research institutes are looking for ways to test artificial reproduction of mudskippers to replicate the model of fish farming in earthen ponds. Effective exploitation and conservation of this unique and strange fish species will help people develop a sustainable economy.

Source: https://danviet.vn/ca-loi-thoi-con-dong-vat-hoang-da-o-ca-mau-dan-vo-rung-duoc-san-bat-ly-ky-nhu-phim-trinh-tham-20240918231419757.htm