Under the top of Ganh Do Pass, a pass in Phu Yen as beautiful as a movie, whenever people catch fish or shrimp, they sell it all.

At dawn, many people drive their boats from rafts to shore to buy food for the lobsters. People who catch fish and shrimp with basket nets also come here to dock to sell seafood to traders.

Crowded "basket market"

In the morning, Mr. Bui Van Nghia shook the basket of urinals by hand from the raft outside Xuan Dai Bay to Ganh Do wharf, then pulled the basket up to the shore, half in the water and half in the water, then walked to where many people were waiting for their turn to grind snails and crabs to make food for lobsters.

Fishermen gather their boats at Ganh Do wharf, Xuan Dai ward (Song Cau town, Phu Yen province). Ganh Do wharf at the foot of Ganh Do pass in Song Cau town. Photo: MANH HOAI NAM.

A moment later, Mr. Nghia carried the basket of lobster food down to load it onto the basket. “Because I’m raising a small batch of lobsters, I only bought 150 kg of bait, whereas before I had to load up to 400 kg onto the basket,” Mr. Nghia said.

Not only Mr. Nghia but also dozens of people are going to the market to buy food for lobsters. Mr. Tran Van Tuan sat down to rest after loading 300 kg of lobster food onto a basket, saying: Every day, at 6 am, I am at Ganh Do wharf to buy food for lobsters, then load it onto a basket and shake it out to the raft.

In this area, lobster cages are spread out, from the outside of Ong Xa Islet to the inside of Ganh Den. Among the cages arriving at Ganh Do, there are lobster farmers who have encroached on the deep water of Vung La sea (Xuan Phuong commune).

From Ganh Do, if you ride a motorbike, you can go around Xuan Dai Bay to Trung Trinh intersection, down to Vung Su, Vung Chao and then to Vung La, which takes half an hour; or if you ride a motorized basket boat, it takes less than 10 minutes to get to Vung La.

Mr. Phan Van Tien, owner of a shrimp feed dealer in this area, said: Every day, there are 2-3 container trucks carrying lobster feed, each truck carrying 50 tons of snails, apple snails, oysters, mussels... to supply to shrimp farmers.

Every morning at Ganh Do Wharf, hundreds of baskets dock to go to the market to buy and transport food to the rafts for the shrimp.

Collecting shrimp and fish after a fishing trip by people in Ganh Do, Xuan Dai ward (Song Cau town, Phu Yen province). Photo: MANH HOAI NAM

Inner basket, outer boat

Early in the morning, the basket boatmen crowded together to transport food for the lobsters, and when the sun rose, they took turns going out to the rafts. At that time, nearly 100 basket boats of the basket boatmen arrived at Ganh Do.

Mr. Thai Tam with his strong hands held the beam tied to the side of the basket and shook it back and forth continuously in the water to cross Ong Xa Islet to the dock.

After pulling the basket ashore, Mr. Tam weighed the fish for the trader, then said: In the dry season, fishermen set nets to catch herring and hairtail; in the rough season, they set nets to catch shrimp and lobster seeds.

People who fish with basket nets go to the wharf at midnight to earn a living and return the next day. This season, I fish with many people using gill nets. This is the main source of income for my family, each fishing trip brings in 400,000-500,000 VND.

According to many fishermen here, there are many sizes of baskets, large, medium, and small. For large baskets, fishermen add a small engine to save fuel, while those who ride small baskets have to swing their arms to surf the waves. In recent years, to make fishing easier and reduce the effort of shaking their arms, many people have invested in buying or upgrading from hand-shaken baskets to motorized baskets.

The big baskets are used by fishermen to “modify” their sleeping areas. They attach two pieces of wood to the sides of the baskets and tie hammocks to sleep at night. Thanks to this, those who earn their living from basket boats can go to sea every day.

In the past, without capital, fishermen only made small baskets and hand-held nets, working two days a week and resting one day because they could not stand sitting all night. Fishermen who made basket nets often caught herring, alum, mackerel... It only took a few hours for the fish to be caught in the net from the sea and brought to shore, so when they arrived at the market, they were still fresh and sweet.

This area has fishermen who go fishing by boat, setting up herring and anchovy nets at night. Although the income from fishing by boat along the coast is not as high as that of boats specializing in offshore fishing, it provides fishermen with a stable source of income.

On average, fishermen earn 500,000 VND per night of fishing, and some nights earn 1 million VND. Fishermen are proactive with their fishing, going out on days when they are strong and resting on days when they are tired.

Ms. Bui Thi Hong in Xuan Dai ward said: The fishing boat goes out at midnight and comes back in the morning, the fish are still fresh. My family has both a basket and a boat. When the sea is rough, my husband drives the boat, when the sea is calm, he shakes the basket and casts the net. At dawn, I stay at Ganh Do wharf to help my husband sell fish and transport fishing gear.

Because the Ganh Do wharf is crowded with boats, fishermen try to arrive early so that their boats can have a place to dock near the shore. If they arrive late, they have to dock far away in deep water and have to use "tang bo" boats to get to the shallows.

Ganh Do Wharf is home to hundreds of households around the bay, making a living by trawling, fishing with baskets and boats, near the mouth of Xuan Dai Bay leading to the sea.

According to the Economic Department of Song Cau Town (Phu Yen Province), the entire town has 6,760 boats and sampans of various sizes. For fishermen who cannot afford to buy large boats to go far out to sea, sampans are a means of livelihood that brings in income to support their families.

For small boats fishing near the shore, although it is hard work at night, thanks to this job, many families have money to cover their living expenses and send their children to school.

My family has both a boat and a basket boat. When the sea is rough, my husband drives the boat, when the sea is calm, he shakes the basket boat and casts the net. At dawn, I stay at Ganh Do wharf to help my husband sell fish and transport fishing gear. Because Ganh Do wharf is crowded with basket boats, fishermen try to come early so that their boats can dock near the shore. Those who come late have to dock far away in deep water, and have to use the basket boat to get to the shallows.

Ms. Bui Thi Hong in Xuan Dai ward, Song Cau town

Source: https://danviet.vn/duoi-dinh-deo-ganh-do-con-deo-o-phu-yen-dep-nhu-phim-he-dan-bat-duoc-ca-tom-la-ban-het-veo-2024070713402487.htm