The end of the year is also the time when fishermen in Tinh Ky, Quang Ngai City, enter the shrimp fishing season. This is one of the localities with the largest number of fishermen and boats participating in shrimp fishing in the province. Although the weather is not favorable due to the influence of cold air, the atmosphere in Tinh Ky sea is very bustling. Along the entire kilometer-long coastline, everywhere you can see basket boats coming and going busily.
According to fishermen, the shrimp season begins in the 10th lunar month of the previous year and lasts until February of the following year. These days, about 100 people from Tinh Ky and Tinh Khe communes, Quang Ngai city, simultaneously go out to sea to hunt for shrimp.
Mr. Duong Duc, a fisherman in Tinh Ky commune, shared: "After three hours at sea, I caught 80 lobsters. Each one was sold for 25,000 VND. The fishing season lasts from 3 to 4 months. Every morning, we row a boat out to sea to check the pre-set nets. After pulling the nets up, we check the holes on the wooden bars to catch the lobsters. As soon as the lobsters are caught, traders come to the beach or to our houses to buy them immediately, making us fishermen very excited."
According to the experience of many fishermen, in years with big floods, there will be many small shrimps. Small shrimps, also known as baby lobsters, are a type of seafood with high economic value, considered a "blessing" of the sea, bringing joy and hope to fishermen. Although this year's shrimp season encountered prolonged cold rain, causing many difficulties in fishing, in return, the number of small shrimps is quite abundant. This helps fishermen have more income to prepare for Tet.
Mr. Nguyen Duy Thanh, a fisherman in Tinh Ky commune, happily said: "This year, a lot of baby lobsters have come ashore. Some days we catch hundreds, even thousands. This is the first year that fishermen have been able to catch such a large number of baby lobsters."
According to fishermen in Tinh Ky commune, since the beginning of the season, the price of small shrimp has fluctuated from 20,000 to 25,000 VND per shrimp, while in previous years, the price of shrimp was usually from 80,000 to 120,000 VND per shrimp. Although the price of shrimp has decreased, thanks to the large number of shrimp caught, fishermen still have a fairly high income. After being purchased, small shrimp will be sold to traders in Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa.
