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| Fruit of both skill and luck |
Outstanding
Casting nets inshore is a popular fishing activity when the sea is rough, the seawater changes color, and the fish come close to the shore to seek food. Many people prefer to spread the net alone while others mobilize 2-3 people for a larger net. Because of the easy flexibility of time, simple fishing gear, and low risk, this activity attracts both veteran and amateur fishermen passionate about experiencing fishing by themselves.
It was 2:30 pm. In the scorching heat, although the storm clouds were approaching, heavy rain was unlikely. After carefully observing the sea surface, watercolor, and sky, Mr. Hai cast his net right next to the embankment, where the waves were crashing against the concrete.
While preparing his equipment, he humorously said, “Despite casting nets for more than 3 years, I am just an amateur and not a “real” fisherman. Every year from July to August, when the sea water turns yellow and the sand is not visible, it is the right time for those who love this activity. My gear includes 2 nets, 1 life jacket, and… myself. After finding a suitable distance, the water is about chest deep, I will cast the net gradually in a direction perpendicular to the shore”.
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| Wading out to cast nets |
Although he considers himself an amateur, with his accumulated experience, Mr. Hai easily swam on his back with the support of a life jacket, riding the waves to gradually cast the net further away. After being assured of the position of the first net, he swam back to the shore, continuing to skillfully spread the second net about 50 meters away, despite the storm slowly approaching.
Although this job is known as "money-for-jam”, the experience and techniques are indispensable factors for a successful net casting. Mr. Vuong, a veteran fisherman, said, "Although it is said to be "money-for-jam”, the net casters need to have certain experience and techniques to achieve results. Depending on the tide and time, the net casters will decide whether to cast or not, when to cast, and what type of net to use to catch the specific type of fish in each area. These types of fish are targeted by season, times of day, or weather at the time of casting nets”.
Godsend
Right from the start, targeting gudgeon (a type of fish with small size, long body, firm and delicious meat), Hai used a single-layer net to easily catch (trap) fish. He said, “A single-layer net with small meshes is specialized for gudgeon. For other types of fish such as bee fish, gray-eel catfish, and orca, each type will be suitable for different numbers of meshes as well as different mesh sizes.”
Thanks to e-commerce platforms, inshore net casters can buy 100 meters of net for only 100,000 VND. However, experienced fishermen are willing to spend hundreds, sometimes millions of VND for homemade nets. Mr. Vuong said, “ Aside from good technique, even and sturdy mesh, self-woven nets are also more durable, larger, and tighter. Besides, large buoys and heavy lead also contribute to increasing the rate of fish caught and limiting the drift of the net, so the price is very reasonable”.
Unlike Mr. Hai who used a single-layer net, Mr. Thuan used a triple-layer net (three layers of net surface). However, due to the large waves and strong currents, his net drifted away from the desired position. Therefore, the net caught very few fish. By contrast, Mr. Hai's net was packed with fish, weighing up to 5 - 7kg.
The inshore net casting job is usually divided into two sessions: 3 - 4 am and 2 - 3 pm. This is when there are many fish and the tide is suitable for pushing the net, thereby increasing the rate of fish caught. Aside from the skill of casting the net, it is also necessary to have the skill of collecting and untangling the net to collect fish and avoid tangling or tearing the net. Each time they cast nets, the fishermen can, on average, catch 2 - 3kg of fish (The price ranges from a few tens to hundreds of thousands of VND/kg, depending on the type of fish). If a shoal of fish appears and the tide is good, they can catch up to 7 - 8kg, or even more than 10kg. However, there are still poor catches of fish, or even without a single small fish.
"Therefore, sometimes relying on techniques, experience, and good fishing gear is not enough. For inshore net casters, besides skills, luck remains indispensable to get manna from the sea," Mr. Vuong concluded.