As usual, at 2 A.M on the 2nd day of the Lunar New Year, Mr. Nguyen Van Tam (Minh Tan neighborhood - Phan Ri Cua town, Tuy Phong) set sail in hopes of bringing back a good catch of fish and shrimp. While the Tet atmosphere was still lively in the villages, many nearshore fishermen had returned to their livelihoods. Accompanying Mr. Tam, many fishing nets near the shore were bustling to set sail. Around 9 a.m., the Ben Do area became lively with the laughter and chatter of fishermen and traders as the fishing nets returned with plenty of fresh shrimp and squid. Particularly, Mr. Tam couldn’t hide his joy, proudly sharing that he “caught” nearly 2 tons of barramundi fish nets worth around 40,000 VND/kg, helping him earn tens of millions of dong. Mr. Tam happily shared: “In the past few years, there were also many barramundi fish, I remember last year’s first fishing trip of the new year, I also harvested nearly 100 kilograms of barramundi fish. This year, the harvest is even greater, and everyone on the trip is happy, each person sharing a few million dong. I hope that the upcoming fishing trips in the year will be smooth and safe.”
The Ben Do area in Phan Ri Cua is bustling in the early days of the year.
Not only Mr. Tam’s boat received the “fortune” of the sea, but almost all other boats or fishing nets that docked also earned at least 1 million dong per person. Since the beginning of the year, green barramundi fish, type 1, have a relatively high price, traders buy at the nets up to 600,000 VND/kg, while type 2 and 3 barramundi fish are priced at 400,000 - 500,000 VND/kg. Besides barramundi fish, shrimp, squid, many fishing nets also caught ribbon fish, croaker fish, ponyfish, clams, and snails… all fresh and delicious. Although seafood prices during the Tet days are high, many people still place orders to give as gifts to distant friends or for family gatherings and home parties.
The early morning scene in the fishing village of Binh Thanh. A bountiful harvest of fresh squid after the first fishing trip of the year.
According to that, the price of grouper ranges from 250,000 - 300,000 VND/kg, cuttlefish ranges from 180,000 - 250,000 VND/kg, barramundi from 30,000 - 50,000 VND/kg, abalone is priced from 350,000 - 500,000 VND/kg, croaker fish from 180,000 - 200,000 VND/kg… During the Tet holiday, the number of tourists visiting Tuy Phong district for entertainment significantly increases, therefore seafood is an essential dish in meals. This is also one of the reasons why seafood prices during Tet days soar. However, according to many tourists, these prices are acceptable because the seafood here is fresh and delicious. Not only do they eat on the spot, but many visitors also stop by Phan Ri Cua market to buy as gifts.
It can be seen that after the early year sea trips, many fishermen return happily as if they had won the lottery, because the fishing trips set out on an auspicious day, but they did not expect to bring back a considerable catch from the sea. According to the local fishermen, in recent days, the northeast wind has been blowing strongly, so the traps have been lying on the shore for a few days, waiting for favorable weather to go back out to sea.
Most of the fishing nets that set out to sea are lucky.
In addition to the small boats and nets fishing near the shore during the day, quite a few large ships also choose the 6th day of Tet to set sail and head out to sea for the first sea trip of the year. According to tradition, fisherman Le Van Hai (Hai Tan neighborhood, Phan Ri Cua town, Tuy Phong) still goes out to sea on the 6th day of Tet. After performing the sea worship and safety rituals, his boat heads out to sea with the hope that the first sea trip of the year will bring back a lot of shrimp and fish, as a joyful sign and great spiritual significance for the subsequent sea trips. Fisherman Le Van Hai said, “The ‘setting out to sea’ trip not only seeks good luck, but if we are ‘lucky at sea,’ fishermen will have a high source of income, as seafood prices during Tet days usually increase sharply. Last year, fishermen faced many difficulties, with many sea trips not covering their costs. I hope that this year, with more favorable weather, abundant seafood resources, fishermen will have the motivation to set sail and stick to the sea.”
Overall, the mood of the fishermen on the first sea trips of the new year is very enthusiastic and excited because they catch a lot of fish, ribbon fish, and sell them at high prices. With the positive signals from the first sea exploitation trips, it is believed that the seafood exploitation and fishing activities of fishermen in the province this year will achieve many successes, contributing positively to the local socio-economic development efforts.
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