Vinh Thai Commune, Vinh Linh District has long been known for a number of traditional fishing occupations such as: building bamboo boats, diving for lobsters, setting traps for squid... In recent years, Vinh Thai fishermen have introduced, improved and developed a new occupation of fishing with light and bird nets. Thanks to the fishing profession, many families here have gradually escaped poverty and have a more prosperous life.
Fishing with light
The last days of December were cold and rainy. Along the coastal villages in Vinh Thai commune, small-capacity bamboo boats lay on the sand waiting for the sun to rise. The house of the Deputy Head of the Thai Lai Farmers' Association, Nguyen Quang, is only a few hundred meters from the coast. Mr. Quang is a skilled fisherman, famous in the area. Previously, he specialized in building bamboo boats and composite boats for fishermen in the province and catching seafood using traditional crafts such as casting nets, pounding shrimp, and casting traps... He is also a pioneer in switching to a new profession - fishing with light.
Mr. Nguyen Quang checks the generator and lighting system - Photo: TT
The day we arrived, the sea was rough so Mr. Quang stayed home. Inside the warehouse, Mr. Quang carefully checked and cleaned the generator, LED lights, incandescent lights... Seeing me watching intently, he smiled gently: "This generator and lighting system is worth about 15 million VND. It serves fishing very effectively. This is the new profession of Thai Lai fishermen. This season the sea is rough so I have to remove the generator and lighting system and bring them up to the storage house, otherwise they will be damaged if left under the boat. When the weather is warm and sunny and the sea is calm again, I will bring them down to the boat and install them to go fishing."
Through research, I learned that in 2020, Mr. Quang bought a small generator and 3 incandescent bulbs, with a capacity of 1,000-1,500W/bulb. The generator was connected to the engine on the boat via a belt. 3 high-pressure bulbs were installed on the side of the boat. To practice fishing with light, Mr. Quang bought many large fishing nets (handle about 2m long, net diameter about 1m).
Fishing by light mainly catches anchovies, mullet, tamarind, and milkfish, lasting from the 3rd to the 7th lunar month every year. During this time, the southwest wind carries a warm breeze, the waves are calm, the sea is calm, and the water is clear. In the middle of the night sea, the light emitted from high-power light bulbs attracts anchovies, mullet, tamarind, and milkfish. When the school of fish approaches the boat, Mr. Quang and his crew use a net to scoop the fish and pour them into large barrels that have been prepared.
Their work continues like this until the barrels are full of fish, then they bring the boat to shore. If they hit a large fish school, a boat can catch several hundred kilograms of fish per trip. To catch this fish, fishermen in Thai Lai village do not look for schools of fish in narrow seas, but rather go to more distant fishing grounds, such as the area bordering Le Thuy district, Quang Binh province, or into My Thuy sea, Hai Lang district.
Mr. Quang said that last year he invested in buying 2 more high-power LED lights to replace 2 incandescent bulbs, helping to save electricity, be more durable and have better lighting efficiency. Currently, on his boat, he uses 1 incandescent bulb and 2 LED lights with a total lighting capacity of 2,500W. “Since I switched to using LED lights, I have caught more fish because the lighting intensity is better, the LED lights are durable, and do not break down for a long time, so it saves more costs. However, I still keep 1 incandescent bulb on the boat to maintain light during the fish gathering process.
According to Mr. Quang, the profession of catching fish with light brings much higher economic efficiency than traditional professions. On average, each season, Mr. Quang collects 5-6 tons of fresh fish of all kinds from the profession of catching fish. These small fish have quite high nutritional value, are favored by the market, so the price fluctuates little, and traders come to buy right at the wharf. Therefore, after each season, he earns about 150-170 million VND, while the cost is quite low. Currently, Thai Lai village has 60 boats, of which 40 have more than 100 fishermen practicing the profession of catching fish with light.
Continue to develop multi-industry
Leaving Thai Lai village, we went to fisherman Ngo The Tien's house in Tan Mach village. Tien is one of the pioneers in changing occupations, introducing the bird trawl fishing profession. In the past 3 years, the bird trawl fishing profession has developed strongly in Tan Mach village, many other boats have also applied it and achieved high efficiency.
Fishermen in Vinh Thai commune catch tamarind fish at night - Photo: TT
With the lagoon bird trawl, he drops it at around 6am, pulls it up the next morning to remove the fish, and then drops the net back into the sea. The bird trawl trade operates about 2-3 nautical miles from shore. The bird trawl trade can be done all year round and is much more effective than other traditional trawling trades.
Nguyen Huu Thanh, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Vinh Thai Commune, said that out of 7 villages in Vinh Thai Commune, 6 villages are engaged in the sea trade. Of these 6 villages, 4 villages have strongly developed the exploitation and fishing industry, including: Thai Lai, Tan Mach, Dong Luat, Tan Hoa. Vinh Thai fishermen have been living off the sea for generations with traditional occupations such as diving for lobsters, pounding shrimp, catching squid, fishing with nets, and fishing with nets. In recent years, fishermen have boldly invested in renovating boats and purchasing fishing gear to develop new occupations such as catching fish with light and bird trawls.
Vinh Thai Beach - Photo: T. TUYEN
The whole commune currently has 206 small boats with capacity from 8 - 24 CV. Thanks to diversified occupations, investment in improving machinery, purchasing fishing gear and hard work, in 2023, the total output of aquatic products caught in the commune reached 1,100 tons, exceeding the set plan (900 tons), estimated at 25 billion VND.
“That proves that the fishing industry is developing well, and security at sea is guaranteed. In the coming time, we will continue to support, encourage and motivate members and fishermen in the area to boldly invest in improving old jobs, developing new jobs to gradually improve income, improve quality of life, and strive to get rich in their homeland,” Mr. Nguyen Huu Thanh further emphasized.
Tran Tuyen
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