Low flood, sparse fish and shrimp
In mid-October, we went to An Phu district (An Giang province) - the place that receives the first water from the upper Mekong River flowing into Vietnam - to record the livelihoods of people during the flood season. In Phu Hoi commune - a locality famous for fishing during the flood season - we were surprised to see that the water level in the fields had not yet "submerged" some sections of the canal banks.
Low flood water has caused a sharp decline in the amount of natural aquatic products in the Mekong Delta. Mr. Duong Van Lam (1973, Phu Hoi commune), who has been involved in flood season fishing for more than 15 years, shook his head in disappointment: "Before, I set up 300 crab traps and caught over 100kg/day, but now I only get 20kg or less, sometimes only a dozen kilos."
Speaking with Lao Dong, Mr. Phung The Vinh - Head of the Division of Agriculture and Rural Development of An Phu district - informed: Compared to 2023, this year the water level upstream flowing to the locality has had times of sudden ups and downs; so far the flood peak has not been determined, but it is basically about 30cm lower than many years. Currently, the flood peak is at alert level 1.
This decline is not only happening to crabs, but also to fish, snails... In general, it is decreasing evenly across all aquatic species. This is also a common story that we have recorded from the elders in Tan Chau (An Giang), Hong Ngu, Tan Hong (Dong Thap).
"Back then, when the flood came, there were a lot of fish. One season of catching linh fish could bring in dozens of taels of gold," Mr. Tran Van Dung, Vinh Xuong commune (Tan Chau, An Giang) recalled the golden age.
Adapting to low flood season
Low floods have led to a decrease in natural aquatic products, but due to the lack of conditions to change jobs, people who specialize in catching aquatic products during the flood season have been forced to find a new direction with their old jobs. "To have enough income for my family, I switched to crab farming" - on cages anchored along the Hau River branch passing through Phu Hoi commune's waters, Mr. Lam shared.
Accordingly, from the seventh lunar month, he selected the small crabs to release back into the raft for farming. At the end of the flood season, he released 1 ton and collected 700kg of large-claw crabs to sell during Tet, earning over 100 million VND. Thanks to this creative method, even though the amount of crabs caught was small, he still had enough money to support his family.
Taking advantage of the success, this year he added one more cage, estimating the total harvest for Tet will be 1.5 tons or more. “For many years, the price of crab at the end of the year or after Tet has always been high. Last year it was sold for 90,000 VND/kg, I hope this year the price will be as high,” Mr. Lam expected.
The old farmer added that raising crab rafts during the flood season is quite easy because their vitality is very strong. To limit the crabs from moving, just make a raft out of tin (because it is slippery) about 4 meters high (5-7 meters from the river bank) to meet the demand. As for food, just give water hyacinth or coconut pulp, if you have money, you can buy more corn and potatoes to help the crabs grow faster.
It is known that Mr. Lam's household will receive a loan of 50 million VND in 2023 to implement a crab farming model on the river during the flood season. After the model was effective, about 30 local households learned and followed suit.
According to Mr. Nguyen Tan Trieu - a fishery officer in charge of Phu Hoi commune - in addition to storing crabs, there are also many households storing linh fish, chot fish, and catfish in the area...
“Like many localities in the upstream area, most of the livelihoods of people in An Phu district depend on the flood season, so they are forced to adapt. We are also fortunate to have the province and the Central Government invest in the Mekong Delta Integrated Climate Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods Project (WB9) in 3 communes on the east bank of the Hau River. The project aims to train people in livelihoods, provide effective models, thereby equipping them with basic knowledge, understanding and ideas for economic development,” Mr. Vinh added.
