At 5am, we arrived at Quynh Phuong beach. The sun had not yet risen above the sea but groups of people were already nimbly pulling their nets ashore.
With a strong hand lifting the heavy net, Mr. Dau Duc Khuong, Than Ai block, Quynh Phuong ward said that this was the second trip of the day. His boat set sail for the first time at 1am. Mr. Khuong and another young man were responsible for rowing the basket boat 1-1.5km away from shore to cast the net. Normally, the nets are 2,000-3,000m long. One end of the net is kept on shore, the other end is carried onto the basket boat and released into the sea in an arc shape until the entire length of the net is reached.
After about 2 hours, the fishermen began to collect the net. On the shore, more than a dozen men and women divided into two groups, standing on either side, pulling back and gradually moving closer together as the net was brought closer to shore. At this time, seafood such as fish, shrimp, crab, squid, etc. would be caught and gathered at the end of the net. The closer to shore, the more the fish struggled, jumped into the air, and fell into the net.
Mr. Khuong said that depending on the fish flow, each time he pulled the net, he could catch several hundred kilograms of seafood of all kinds, but there were also trips where he could only catch 5-7 kilograms. Some boats earned over 5 million VND after just a few hours of casting the net.
The seafood in the forest net is quite diverse, but mainly croaker, anchovy, herring, squid, and shrimp. Because the seafood is still fresh when it reaches the shore, the selling price is quite high. The retail price of croaker and anchovy is 40,000-50,000 VND/kg, and the wholesale price to traders is 25,000-30,000 VND/kg. Flashing squid costs 300,000 VND, cuttlefish 150,000 VND/kg.
Sitting on the sand to rest and quickly eat breakfast after two fishing trips, Mrs. Dau Thi Nhan (68 years old, resident of Than Ai block, Quynh Phuong ward) said that in the locality, young and strong men follow boats to exploit seafood for long days in the open sea, while the work of pulling the net near the shore is less strenuous, so it is mainly for older women. Regardless of the time of year, whenever the weather is favorable and the sea is calm, fishermen pull the net.
On less days, there are 2-3 trips, on days when there are many fish close to shore, there can be up to 5 trips. Everyone takes the opportunity to eat and rest under the shade of trees near the shore while waiting to pull in the fish. Everyone will start going to sea from 1-2 am and return home at 11 am. If the weather is good, each person can earn 500,000 VND on the highest day, and 50,000 VND on the lowest day. Compared to living conditions in the countryside, it is still a living.
The trawling profession in Hoang Mai town is mainly concentrated in Quynh Phuong ward. Mr. Ho Xuan Huong - Chairman of the ward People's Committee said that this profession has existed for a long time, passed down from father to son. Previously, the locality had dozens of boats participating in fishing with trawls. However, up to now, due to the depletion of near-shore seafood resources, only 3 families are still doing the profession, the remaining fishermen have switched to other seafaring jobs.
However, Quynh Phuong is a tourist beach, so if this traditional craft is preserved, it may become an experience for tourists in the future.
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