Fishermen in the raft village pick fish with heavy hands

As summer begins, it is also the time when fishermen in the coastal villages of the North Central region are busy with the new fishing season. This season, there are many fish near the shore, so fishermen often go out to sea, and each time they return to shore, their hands are tired from removing and picking up fish.

Fishermen in raft villages in the North Central region harvest herring.

Fishermen in coastal villages in Hoang Hoa, Quang Xuong districts, Sam Son city (Thanh Hoa); Quynh Luu and Dien Chau districts (Nghe An) have a tradition of fishing near shore using rafts. With only bamboo, styrofoam, ropes, etc., fishermen have woven sturdy rafts to go out to sea to fish.

From around 1-2am, fishermen start going out to sea and return around 7-8am. For those who are healthy, after the first trip they can go on a second trip. From the shore, fishermen run their rafts about 4-5 nautical miles to cast their nets.

Clip: Fishermen from floating villages remove fish from their heavy rafts

These days, along the fishing villages, everything is bustling. Every time the rafts reach the shore, all members of the fishing families are mobilized to remove the fish, pick them up, wash them, etc. The beach is bustling with the sound of engines on the rafts, engines pulling the rafts, mixed with the laughter and "auctions" of sellers and buyers...

The raft fishermen catch all kinds of fish: anchovies, jellyfish, shrimp, crabs, prawns, crayfish and most of all, herring. Currently, the price of herring sold as soon as the rafts reach shore is at least 12,000-15,000 VND/kg, sometimes up to 18,000-20,000 VND/kg. Normally, each fishing trip catches 3-4 quintals of fish, some days catch 7-8 quintals. Thanks to the good season and good prices, the fishermen are very excited.

Fisherman Le Van Muoi (Quang Dai commune, Sam Son city, Thanh Hoa) shared: “As soon as the sun starts to warm up, there are many herrings. Herrings change from spring to summer, their bodies are round, when grilled they are fragrant, rich, and fatty. This season's fish is the most suitable and delicious to make fish sauce. The flavor of herring fish sauce is unmistakable.”