Bustling flood season
These days, farmers in low-lying areas of Soc Trang province are busy preparing fishing gear to go to the fields to push rods, set traps, spread nets... to catch aquatic products during the flood season.
Waking up early in the morning, Mr. Quach Thanh Sang (Nga Nam town, Soc Trang province) prepares tools to go to the field to push the cone to catch fish. In recent years, thanks to the water flowing from upstream, his family's meals have become more abundant.
Mr. Sang said: "When the water comes back, we all go out to the fields to push sticks and spread nets, going from dawn to dusk. People in the West live according to the water, and over time it becomes a way of life. Every year around the seventh lunar month, we wait for the flood to come back to go fishing."
The flood season brings aquatic products and alluvium from upstream, helping farmers not only improve their daily meals but also increase their income.
Mr. Luu Binh (Nga Nam town, Soc Trang province) said: "The flood water here lasts for 2-3 months, so farmers do not grow rice. Every flood season, people prepare fishing gear to go to the fields to catch fish to earn enough money to cover expenses until the next crop."
Flooded fields, aquatic products are still low
Although he has been busy following the tide to exploit aquatic products in recent days, Mr. Binh, who has over 20 years of experience in the profession of pushing rods, is quite sad because the water has flooded the fields and there are still few fish.
"Compared to last year when we caught 7-12kg of fish per day, this year the amount of fish is quite small, only 1-2kg/day. After catching fish, we bring it to the market to sell. The price of fish this year is also lower than last year, so the average income is only about 100,000-200,000 VND," said Mr. Binh.
It's not much better, many days Mr. Sang goes fishing all day but comes back empty-handed due to the small amount of seafood. "At the beginning of the season, due to drought and salinity, fish have difficulty reproducing. Many days, he catches about 5-7kg, sometimes he doesn't even catch 1kg, just enough to eat but not to sell," said Mr. Sang.
At traditional markets in Soc Trang province, although it is the flood season, the amount of freshwater fish in the market is quite small. The types of fish sold are mainly snakehead fish, tilapia... fluctuating at 100,000 - 120,000 VND/kg.
