Hunting season for ‘tree climbing fish’
Fisherman Thanh Hoa is in the middle of hunting for dolphins, which not only swim and dive underwater, but also run and jump on the ground and climb trees.
One morning in mid-March, in the coastal mud plains and tiger forest, parrots in Da Loc commune, Hau Loc district, dozens of fishermen brought bamboo baskets, plastic cans, surfboards, fishing rods, traps… to catch them. (also known as whistle fish, slippery).
It is a fish from the white goby family, which is considered one of the “weirdest fish on the planet” due to its gills and lungs. They can live in water, in mud or running on land, even climbing trees to find food. Each adult is 10-15 cm long, about the size of a finger.
Mud fish live along swamps in estuaries, muddy shores, with a submerged depth of no more than two meters. The tidal zones of the coastal communes of the Hau Loc district such as Da Loc, Ngu Loc, Hai Loc, Minh Loc are where this species is most widely distributed. Mosquitoes often hide under the mud 20-30 cm deep to stay, each cave has several fish. When the tide is low, they will come out of their burrows to find food.
Mudfish gather to bask on the mounds in early February when the breeding season arrives. Photo: Le Hoang
With his hands quickly digging deep under the soft black mud, Nguyen Thi Phuong (45 years old, Da Loc commune, Hau Loc district) caught two fish at the same time. Swimming in the water to wash off the thin layer of mud that was still clinging to the fish’s body, he threw it into the basket at his waist and then looked around again. Today, he went to the sea from 9 am, past noon, he got the basket back.
It is a profession that requires experience and ingenuity, so most girls participate, some boys and children when they are not going to school. According to Phuong, the “process” of catching fish will start with finding the fish, then digging out the mud. Hearing the sound, the fish rushed out of the cave and were caught in the basket.
“Not only does it have to be technical, but it’s also very difficult to catch fish. It’s not very difficult, but moving continuously in knee-deep mud and sweeping away mud is very difficult,” said a female fisherman named Loan.
He said catching whistle fish cannot wear gloves because it is difficult to manipulate. Without protective gear, hunters sometimes touch glassware, sharp objects or the shells of oysters or snails, causing the skin to tear and bleed. Some people were also injured by snake bites or accidentally stepped on poisonous seafood, but none were in danger of life.
A group of women in Da Loc go into the forest every day to dig in the mud and catch dolphins. Photo: Le Hoang
The mud fish hunting in Hau Loc appeared in the past, so there were many skilled workers. Apart from skilled burrowers like Phuong, many other professional hunters (mostly men) fish with fishing rods or traps.
Dang Van Quan – who has worked for more than 30 years as a mud fish hunter in Da Loc commune, said in his harvest, he often made sharp pincers from bent bamboo sticks to trap fish. The trap is about 40 cm high, the bottom is tied with a rope. Every day, after breakfast, he took his trap and waded through the mud to find the fish burrows to their place. When the fish appear in search of food, swimming through will become entangled in the rope, falling into the trap. The worker then just has to go back and remove the “trophy”.
Mr. Quan has more than 100 traps used to catch mud fish. Every day usually hunting for 5-7 hours depending on the water (tidal sea water), collecting fish of approximately 2 kg, the winning meal can be more than 3 kg. At a selling price of 180,000-200,000 VND per kilogram, Mr. Quan earns almost half a million VND per day.
Hunter Dang Van Quan collected a lot of fish after a long day of trapping in the beach mud. Photo: Le Hoang
Shellfish season usually lasts from after Chinese New Year until the fifth lunar month of each year. In late spring, the fish breed and become very fatty, so it is also the most effective time for hunting.
Snakehead fish meat is very fragrant and oily, often processed by local residents into boiled, grilled, cooked with tamarind sauce… In the past, fish was widely used by people as daily food, but now it is considered a special dish in many restaurants. Fish are usually bought by traders on the spot, some are sold at local markets around the area. Fresh type can be exported to China, Japan…
Fishermen in the Hau Loc district hunt for dolphins in the tidal zone of the coast. Videos: Le Hoang
Mudidae belongs to the white gobies family, found mainly in estuaries and tropical coastal areas such as India, Australia or Southeast Asia such as Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam… In Thanh Hoa, whistle fish are common in coastal areas of Hau Loc district, Nga Son, Quang Xuong and Nghi Son.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
