All night long casting nets on the river

All night "hunting" fish

A cool breeze blew gently across the cool river. I suddenly heard the sound of the cuckoo bird in the afternoon, and my heart suddenly felt melancholy. Looking at the river, the ebb tide slowly flowed, which was also the time when fishermen rowed their boats out to sea to catch fish. Night fell, and the fishermen used their boats as their homes, the moon and stars as their companions, swaying with the waves. Having cast their nets for quite a long stretch, Ms. Tran Thi Kieu urged her husband to quickly start the engine and rush to the confluence of the Chac Ca Dao River (bordering Chau Thanh and Cho Moi districts) to cast a new net. The sudden gusts of wind in April blew strongly, causing the curtains to flutter. Tiny drops of water splashed on people's faces, making everyone feel cold.

At dawn, fishermen stop at the market to sell fish.

Looking at the clouds, Mr. Nguyen Van Thuong (Ms. Kieu's husband) guessed that tonight the wind would turn to rain, making it difficult to set the net. Mr. Thuong used his feet to stir the water and push the boat out to the middle of the river. From afar, he heard the sound of an engine, Ms. Kieu flashed her headlight on the river to avoid collisions. "You have to be careful when setting the net at night, especially when there are boats passing by. If you don't signal, the high-powered engines will cut the net to pieces," Ms. Kieu said.

In the quiet space, fishermen still quietly earn their living on the deserted river. They consider the deep river as a place to earn a living, without any fear. “The waves are rough, sometimes stormy and dangerous! But we are used to it. If we have a lucky day and catch a big fish, we will live well. That is the job of a “fisherman”. Winning and losing are unpredictable” - Ms. Kieu chatted freely at night.

Sticking with the long-standing profession of "auntie", many experienced fishermen shared that they have to choose a good day to set out in order to catch good fish. Seeing our curiosity, Ms. Kieu explained: "Every fisherman has a folk belief, so they all abstain from what they say. Every time they go down to the net, they have to choose a good day to offer ducks or fruits." After listening to his wife, Mr. Thuong continued: "In recent years, the number of toadfish in the river is quite large, but the silver pomfret is very rare. Once in a while, we can only catch one"...

Happy when the fish are full

Currently, many fishermen have started to bring fishing gear to the Chac Ca Dao, Vam Nao and Hau rivers to catch catfish. This year, the source of catfish has decreased sharply, but in return, fishermen have a good season of suu (sửu), coc (sầu) and silver carp. Throwing his net into the boat, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Loi (Nam Loi, 52 years old, living in Chau Thanh district) was very excited because he caught 2-3 coc (sầu) fish, weighing 1-2kg/fish. With more than 20 years in the silver fishing profession, Nam Loi knows very well the deep and shallow parts of the river. Not only that, Nam Loi is also known as a "giant fish killer" and is respected by those in the profession. Every time he sets out to cast his net, Mr. Loi only needs to look at the water level to know whether there are many or few fish. This season, each night, Mr. Loi has caught 4-5 coc (sầu) fish.

After a hard night, the boats of Nam Loi, Mr. Thuong and other fishermen caught a lot of delicious fish. Docking at the market early, the men took the opportunity to lie down and take a nap. The women were busy carrying fish to the market to sell. In recent years, when the river fish supply decreased sharply, due to the impact of the natural environment and humans, people's livelihoods have become difficult. In the past, there was too much toadfish, people did not want to eat it because the meat had Y-shaped bones. Now, this fish is considered a specialty on the restaurant menu, priced from 120,000 - 150,000 VND/kg (each fish weighs over 1kg). Thanks to that, fishermen have a relatively good income...

“This fish species appears from January to the end of May of the lunar calendar. When the water in the river turns clear blue, there are many large toadfish,” said Nam Loi. Every night, at the Chac Ca Dao and Vam Nao rivers, there are 20-30 boats setting up nets to catch fish. In previous years, when there were still a lot of fish, there were a lot of boats and canoes, from 50-60, fishing on the river. As the fish resources gradually depleted, many people have given up their fishing jobs and gone ashore to find other jobs.

At dawn, at An Chau market, the sound of water being splashed in the boat's hold was heard, making the market wharf bustling. Fish were jumping in the hold, fishermen forgot their sleepiness after a hard night. Carrying a net full of toadfish to the market to weigh for her friends, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong smiled: "Today, my husband caught a net with dozens of toadfish, and earned millions from the savings club. Thanks to that, the family has enough money to support their children's education every day." Ms. Bay Van (a seller specializing in buying and selling delicious fish at An Chau market) said cheerfully: “Currently, it is the season for toadfish. Every day I buy more than 20 fish, the type from 1.5 - 2 kg costs 150,000 VND/kg, the type from 1 - 1.4 kg costs 120,000 VND/kg. Recently, a seller in Ho Chi Minh City called to buy, I packed them in a cold box and sent them by bus there. If the fishermen have as many fish as they want, they will buy all of them.”

Out on the river, many fishing boats rushed to the shore, the market wharf became more and more bustling. The quick meeting between the fisherman and the merchant lasted only a few minutes and then they parted. The market had not yet ended, the fisherman quickly drove his shrimp-tailed motor home to prepare for a new day.

LUU MY

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/trang-dem-tha-luoi-tren-song-a419085.html