Herring returns to Phu Quoc sea, people have a good harvest, bustling with joy

Cá trích về biển Phú Quốc, dân được mùa, rộn ràng vui - Ảnh 1. — Mr. Ngo Hoai Dua (red shirt) - in Tran Phu fishing village, Duong Dong ward, Phu Quoc city - said that if you want to catch a lot of herring, you have to look at the fish running on the sea and then surround the net to catch them - Photo: CHI CONG

According to Tuoi Tre Online , at around 8am on October 10, in the beach area of Tran Phu fishing village (Duong Dong ward, Phu Quoc city, Kien Giang), fishermen were busily running boats and baskets out to sea to cast nets to catch herring. Women on shore took the opportunity to remove herring stuck in the nets in time to weigh them for vendors to sell at the market.

Mr. Ngo Hoai Dua - a person with many years of experience catching herring in Tran Phu fishing village (Duong Dong ward) - said that Phu Quoc island is located in the Gulf of Thailand and borders Cambodia, so the sea has many shallow and deep areas, creating an ideal living environment for herring.

Therefore, starting from September (lunar calendar) every year, herrings return to Phu Quoc sea to live in large numbers.

To catch a lot of herring, Mr. Dua and the locals here all use their own experience to identify the fish running in the sea and then spread nets to catch them.

“If you work hard enough, you will get used to it. If you want to know where there are a lot of herrings, just look at the sea surface. Wherever the fish run in the water, rolling in schools, I will set up a net to catch herrings and yellowfin tuna,” Mr. Dua happily said.

Mùa cá trích về, dân Phú Quốc được mùa ‘ăn nên làm ra’ - Ảnh 2. — Phu Quoc people spread nets full of herring - Photo: CHI CONG

Mùa cá trích về, dân Phú Quốc được mùa ‘ăn nên làm ra’ - Ảnh 3. — At 8am, the Tran Phu fishing village beach area is bustling with people removing herring in time to weigh it for vendors to sell at the market – Photo: CHI CONG

Mùa cá trích về, dân Phú Quốc được mùa ‘ăn nên làm ra’ - Ảnh 4. — Fresh herring in Phu Quoc is sold at a price ranging from 15,000-40,000 VND/kg (depending on the time when the fish are caught) - Photo: CHI CONG

To catch herring, Mr. Dua usually goes to sea at around 3am. At this time, the sea is calm, and he can easily see where there are fish by shining a light. Therefore, he only needs a net (about 10 nets, about 1,000m long), and when the fish run, he catches 500kg - 1 ton of herring per net cast.

Herring is currently sold by him and other people at a price ranging from 15,000 to 40,000 VND/kg (depending on the time when the herring is caught, whether it is small or large). After deducting the cost of gasoline, Mr. Dua lives well every time the herring season comes to Phu Quoc sea.

“We buy all the herrings that people catch to supply to markets in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Phu Quoc restaurants to prepare dishes for tourists. The price of this herring is not fixed. If there are a lot of herrings, I buy them at a cheaper price, but it is still around 15,000 - 25,000 VND/kg.

"When people catch a lot of fish, I think they will live well," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Trinh, a herring buyer in Duong Dong ward.