New Year's sea fortune
From early dawn, at the beach of Tan Hai village, Ninh Chau commune, dozens of small-capacity ships and boats lined up to go to sea to exploit sea shrimp paste. In recent days, shrimp paste has appeared densely with the tide, forming red-pink streams on the sea surface.
Ruoc docks in areas not far from the shore, at a depth of about 10 to 15 m, convenient for small boats to fish. Just by observing the tide and sea color, experienced fishermen can recognize the effective time to go offshore.
Just pulling sand shrimp ashore, Mr. Ngo Van Hiep - a fisherman in Tan Hai village excitedly said that in the early days of the year, the weather is foggy, so sand shrimp follows the lichen and is pulled ashore a lot, some days his family's boat is lucky to harvest nearly 4 quintals of sand shrimp.
This year's shrimp paste season is both high in output and sunny, so it is favorable for drying, reducing losses" - Mr. Hiep shared.
On average, each boat has 2 workers, after only a few hours of exploitation, many boats can harvest from 3 to 5 quintals of shrimp paste. Many boats can go 2 to 3 trips/day when shrimp paste is still thick.
According to fisherman Hoang Van Tan - a long-time seafarer in the locality, shrimp paste only appears in peak days, so people have to stick to the sea continuously. "Every time shrimp paste comes in, everyone works through noon to have time to harvest. A few days late, the output immediately decreases. Each sea trip, each person can earn a few million VND.
Earning millions every day
Ruoc after being net-pulled is brought ashore for sorting right at the beach. One part is sold fresh to traders, the rest is spread with tarpaulin and dried under the sun. Red-pink layers of ruoc cover the sand beach, creating a typical scene of the ruoc sea area.
Currently, fresh shrimp paste costs 10,000 to 12,000 VND/kg. If dried to dry, shrimp paste can be sold for about 160,000 VND/kg. Thanks to stable prices and abundant shrimp paste sources, many households earn millions of VND per day. For families with 2 to 3 boats participating in exploitation, the average income is nearly ten million VND/day.
Mr. Nguyen Tien Long - Head of the Economic Department of Ninh Chau commune said that this year the weather is favorable, so from the 1st and 2nd days of Tet, about 50 boats have gone to sea.
Statistics from the Lunar New Year to now show that the exploitation output is maintained at a high level, averaging about 1 ton of squid per day, especially fish and shrimp paste about 20 tons/day. This is a positive sign for the 2026 exploitation season, contributing to increasing income and promoting the local marine economy.
Not only in Ninh Chau, many coastal localities in Quang Tri also recorded the situation of sand shrimp drifting ashore after Tet. When sand shrimp appeared, species such as herring, mackerel, mackerel, and squid also followed to forage, creating conditions for fishermen to integrate exploitation. Just going to the area a few hundred meters from the shore, each sea trip, many fishermen harvested whole schools of squid and fish.
Local authorities recommend that fishermen exploit in the right fishing grounds, ensure safety when going to sea and comply with regulations on protecting aquatic resources.
The shrimp paste season comes quickly and also goes quickly. The generous sea days at the beginning of the year are adding motivation for Ninh Chau fishermen to firmly stick to the sea, hoping for a year of Binh Ngo with smooth sailing and abundant fish.
