Video documentary by Huong Thanh The villagers of Cam Nhuong beach village (Cam Xuyen) called fisherman Le Xuan Tien an old fisherman with the charm of “hunting” goldfish because more than a decade ago, only Mr. Tien caught this fish in large numbers. In the first 4 months of 2021, the boat of old fisherman Le Xuan Tien has won 3 batches of positive goldfish worth more than 1.5 billion VND. In which, for the first time, Mr. Tien won more than 2 tons of positive goldfish on January 24, 2021; for the second time, on April 16, he hit 2 tons; 3rd time, he hit again 1.5 tons. Mr. Le Xuan Tien’s boat hit more than 2 tons of goldfish on January 24, 2021 In addition, in the first months of the year, fishermen Le Xuan Tien also won many fishing trips with a total value of more than 1 billion VND. Although he has just won a lot after many trips out to sea, with fisherman Le Xuan Tien, whenever the weather is favorable, he is busy preparing gears to go “hunting” sea buds. At the age of 57, old fisherman Le Xuan Tien still works diligently, labor productivity is always superior even though his boat is only 110 CV. Video: Mr. Le Xuan Tien shares about the ocean goldfish fishing (made in April 2021) An indispensable tool in every trip of old fisherman Le Xuan Tien is a fish detector (also known as a stealth machine) and a locator. In 2010, after seeing that fishermen from outside the province were effectively fishing thanks to fish detectors, Mr. Tien invested nearly 100 million VND to purchase these machines for fishing. Mr. Tien shared: “I think the success of sea trips is partly due to luck, the rest is due to my hard work, my love for my job and my efforts. Except when the sea is rough and the full moon day, we go out to sea every day ”. From the effort and hard work, more than 30 years in the marine profession, Mr. Tien has drawn for himself many fishing experiences such as forging his clear eyes that can see through the fish in the dark or during the day. The main fishing ground that Mr. Le Xuan Tien operates mainly is the area around Hon Buoc island, 2-3 nautical miles from the coast. This field is full of rocks and corals, so it is easy to tear the net if the fishermen are still skilled. However, with the old fisherman Le Xuan Tien, he memorized the topography of each area around here the fishing was also somewhat more advantageous. According to Mr. Tien’s experience, during a dark night, the goldfish emits a bright light like the light of a flashlight. That is also the reason why this fish is called with many names such as snakehead fish and rhubarb. At a distance of more than 100m, old fisherman Le Xuan Tien can see through yellow and yang fish. In addition to his skillful technique of catching fins and tattooing, he is considered by local people as the “killer” of fishes, especially yellow fish. Documentary photo Recalling the last time “met” a flock of yellow ocean fish, fishermen Le Xuan Tien and the crew members on the boat still have feelings of joy. Mr. Tien said: “As usual, at 4:00 p.m. on April 15, we went out to sea to fish in the waters around Hon Buoc island. At 2:00 on April 16, when I looked at the flashlight, I discovered a stream of fish swimming about 5 meters away from the boat, sparkling with bright yellow color, so I am sure it is a yellow fish. Immediately, Mr. Tien steered his boat around the area where the fish appeared in order to localize it, then teamed up with crew members to spread the net 300m in length and drop into the sea in an arc shape. After more than 2 hours of struggling, fishermen Le Xuan Tien and 9 crew members joined forces to bring the fish to the boat compartment. On this trip, Mr. Tien had to hire two more boats to transport fish to Con Go port. Fisherman Lai The Ha (Xuan Bac village, Cam Nhuong commune) – Mr. Tien’s crew member said: “Those who work as fishermen in Cam Nhuong commune all admire Mr. Tien’s skill. He is not only good at detecting and locating fish flocks and running streams, but he is also good at receding fin technology in rocky fishing grounds. He has clear eyes, looking at a distance of 100 meters that he can distinguish a red fish or a black fish. From the beginning of the year until now, I have earned more than 150 million dong from fishing boat Mr. Tien ”. Video: Fishermen Lai The Ha shares his income as well as his experience and ability to “hunt” for yellow and ocean fish (made in April 2021). It is known that from November 2020 up to now, fishermen Le Xuan Tien’s boat has had more than 40 sea trips and an income of more than 2.5 billion VND. In which, boat owners earned more than 1 billion VND; The remaining 9 crew members each earn an average income of more than 150 million VND. Mr. Le Xuan Tien is the only fisherman who has been able to catch yellow ocean fish after more than a decade of fishing in Cua Nhuong waters. The fish batches of old fisherman Le Xuan Tien are creating a great motivation for fishermen in Cam Nhuong commune to buy and repair more fishing gears, repair boats, invest in machinery to continue to rise offshore and stick to the sea. Chairman of Cam Nhuong Commune People’s Committee Nguyen Van Hung

Bagan Sekinchan fishing village. Many fishing vessels here have small capacity, ineffective against changes in the fishing grounds. Photo: Hai Seng Huat wharf management agency. The small crane diligently carried each barrel of fish from the ship to the Hai Seng Huat wharf while the traders were busy choosing the right fish on the wet port floor. This sea trip was a big hit, especially for Indian mackerel. But with Chia Tian Seng, a 47-year-old fisherman in this area, there is still a worry in his heart. He and his three siblings, who worked together as fishermen, noticed that the weather was getting more and more unusual. With Seng’s seafaring profession, the weather will determine the effectiveness of each sailing trip. For 10 years of being directly in charge of a fishing boat, Seng has never seen an unusual wind and current like now. “Previously, in the main season, the wind and the water flow were usually very stable, now it is uncertain, very unpredictable, now it can hit like this, but it can also be empty,” said Seng. According to Seng, the changes in natural conditions also prevent the target from being caught. “In the past, the sea cases at the beginning of the year never had squid, it was only in the middle of the year, but from the Lunar New Year until now, my ship caught a few tons”. Seng’s brother, Mr. Hee, who is currently the chairman of the Fisheries and Fisheries Association of Sekinchan town (Sabak Bernam city, Selangor state) added that, for 2 years now, I have not understood why Indian mackerel is so much. Before fishermen hunt, it is rare, now every trip is available, so the price is not good. Fishermen He said that every trip to the ship owner complained that the team cost was too much. Vessels now often have to go farther and more winding than they can to see the flow of fish. According to experts, climate change is the agent that makes the marine profession change and more difficult. The waiting fish tanks were transferred to Hai Seng Huat jetty. Photo: Hai Seng Huat wharf management agency. Tee Kai Seng, a 27-year-old fisherman who has been in the ocean for 10 years, noticed that the fish were getting smaller and smaller, causing the boat to move more to get big fish. “Previously I earned at least 2,000 RM (about 11 million VND) to 3,000 RM, about this year no trip has been more than 2,000 RM,” he said. In addition, the traditional fishing area that Tee Kai Seng used to go to now has not many fish, making each voyage go further. The Malaysian government recently revised the law, extending the ban on fin net fishing from 5 to 8 nautical miles from the coast. In the narrow Malacca Strait, outside 8 nautical miles for fishing is very difficult due to the busy passage of ships on the world sea, and it is also easy to violate the anti-IUU fishing regulations when the Indonesian territorial waters are too near the. But Chia Tian Seng still emphasizes the factor of climate change that is making Malaysian fisheries more difficult. The former northeast or southwest winter time – from November to March of the following year and from May to September – is usually the time when the Malaysian fisherman is carrying fish. Climate change changes the fish seasons. “Sometimes going to the sea, the wind blows from all sides, so the fish can not be determined,” said Seng. “Sometimes 3-4 days in a row the wind blows in the southeast direction, suddenly it turns to the northeast, then changes again”, the fisherman who is now the owner of the Hong King Mooi fish bowl added. According to Mr. Mooi, the wind changes, the flow of fish is difficult to find, more dangerous than fishermen’s boats that are easily dangerous. The phenomenon started appearing in 2004, and has become more frequent more and more recently, according to fisherman Hee. Malaysia is one of the countries with a high rate of fish consumption in daily meals in the world. Some figures in 2016 show that a Malaysian eats 168g of fish per day. That same year, the Center for the Development of Southeast Asian Fisheries assessed the total marine fish catch in Malaysia was worth 2.5 million USD. Newer figures from the Malaysian Bureau of Statistics in 2018, the output of sea fishing reached 1.45 million tons, in 2019 it was 1.46 million tons.

Reaching off the epidemic season

Tens of thousands of ships along the coast of Vietnam are still stretching day and night to exploit seafood in traditional fishing grounds. The fishermen who go out to sea to stick to the sea not only make a living but also make living milestones, affirming the sovereignty over the sacred islands of the country.

At 5:00 a.m. on the first day of March, 2021, from Nam Du fishing port (An Son island commune, Kien Hai district, Kien Giang province), captain Le Quang Anh’s ship (Hai Anh) pulled anchors out to sea, heading straight to the fisherman. Ca Mau school – Kien Giang. This is considered one of the largest fishing grounds in our country because this area has currents carrying many plankton, along with a rich and abundant source of seafood. At the same time, this area also has a shallow continental shelf, many estuaries and tidal flats that are favorable for fishing.

The achievement of the sea after the tough nets.

On this trip, Mr. Hai Anh’s boat used ruffled nets. This form of fishing makes little disturbance to the benthic biota. Catched products are aquatic species with high economic value such as mackerel, tuna, herring … After 3 hours of breaking and reaching the sea, the boat has reached the traditional fishing ground and began to float the nets. Waiting time to pull the first batch of fish takes 4-6 hours. Captain Hai Anh and the crew on the boat took advantage of the nets to take a nap at night.

Seafaring in the South season is relatively mild, the wind is gentle, but thunderstorms are always sudden. Therefore, even though it is a “gentle” sea, the danger is unpredictable.

For nearly 2 years, the COVID-19 epidemic has been raging, affecting seriously consumption volume and price. Hai Anh ship’s seafood specializes in supplying 3 large restaurants in Phu Quoc. Influence of the disease, few tourists, and the restaurant was in a bad state, it forced prices down very low. There was a return sea trip, the price hit the bottom but the restaurant still could not consume it, the rest Hai Anh had to bring the termites to the fish sauce company at the “afternoon market” price.

The master “hears the fish”

Nguyen Xuan Thang (Tu Thang, 45 years old) has been a fisherman since the time his hair was still cropped, over 30 years up to now. Mr. Thang is a good “listening fish” hand that any ship wants to pull him away. After a sea trip of more than 20 days from Hai Anh ship, Mr. Tu Thang just returned home to throw the children fresh fish from the sea, took a few more clothes, then rushed to the dock to board the captain’s boat to scratch. Year of Singing. This time the rafting ship is expected to stay at sea for 30 days to return to shore, with crew of 8 people on board. The number of rake net is too small, the ship should have 3 more excellent fishermen, but they are stuck at Truong Sa fishing ground in Khanh Hoa sea.

Sewing nets, arranging nets to prepare for a night of fish hunting.

Scratching rake (also known as drag net) is a key fishing method of the fishery. The output of aquatic products caught by the drag net is estimated at over 50% of the total production. The fishing trawl fishery lives in the bottom layer, the seabed is relatively flat, the depth is usually 20-100m. The most important step of pounding depends on your ability to guess the flow of the fish. This is based entirely on a “listening to fish” player like Tu Thang.

The first quality of a person who “listens to fish” is to swim well and dive like a fish. With these two abilities, Tu Thang has been a “valedictorian” since the age of 20. On this voyage, Tu Thang’s boat prioritizes grouper and squid fishing. Grouper is known as a rare and high-priced seafood species. To hunt grouper flow, Tu Thang first had to dive into the sea, to find coral reefs and caves to explore. The grouper is an aggressive and very clever species, so it is difficult for humans to approach even from a distance.

Instead of looking directly at the flow of fish, Tu Thang will check the food carcasses of the fish left on the seabed and the smoothness of the rock cavities. Wherever the reef is cloudy, there is a lot of flora and small animals, there are grouper. Then, the diver pressed his ears to the rock niches to hear the water flowing around him. If the water is gurgling, then there must be grouper flocks around.

These signs, only experienced fish listeners like Tu Thang can feel. After correctly determining the flow of fish, the rake net will surround and sweep. The grouper, no matter how cunning and cunning, are still caught by “fangs” of pounding.

Mr. Tu prepares for the diving phase to find fish.

After each batch of grouper, the rake net is greatly torn by the sharp teeth and puncture of the fish’s fins. The mesh stitching takes a lot of time, requires meticulousness and patience. When night fell, all the sailors on board began to scratch the bottom floor squid. Like that, they worked until dawn the next day.

Every half a month, cargo ships will go to the fishing grounds to buy seafood. Trading on the sea is not like any other market, because both sellers and traders are fishermen for a long time, they understand the sea too well. They did not pay the price, what the price was, the seller just smiled and happily transferred the fish to the ship. The fish shipments are full, the ship is ready to donate to the collectors a few kilograms each, on the contrary, every time a failure, the boat buys happily “tip” more money tea.

After each transaction, the crew on the ship is immediately divided the remuneration. Their work is calculated according to the output in the form of “let’s eat together, lose together”. They can send money to buy to bring home or keep with them, have the opportunity to visit the island to refuel or shelter from storms will use the money to spend ashore.

The sea still sings the song on the waves

In recent years, the Kien Giang – Ca Mau fishing ground has been “poor” gradually. The fishing boats are more and more, so there is competition for channels and fishing grounds. The income of the sailors decreased gradually, so they went to search for a new land. Part of life is about life, but much of it wants to freely waving around in the vast sea and sky of the country.

Truong Sa, ever since has become a call of love tightly squeezed into the heart of every fisherman. Mr. Tu Thang said that at the beginning of 2021, he also had a trip to Truong Sa with his colleagues in the fishing village of Bich Dam (Khanh Hoa).

The trip in the fish-up season (the fish species migrating in the Southern waters began moving to the North), although hard and high-risk, made Mr. Tu Thang more excited. Because, the ship’s captain is the benefactor who saved his life 11 years ago in Truong Sa, when his ship crashed at sea. Remembering that night, Mr. Thang still choked. In those days, the boats went to the net, the fishing tools were rudimentary, but not modernly improved as now. The sea in June is relatively peaceful, on the mainland it is in the hot summer season, so no one thinks the night sea is windswept, such a terrible tornado.

The small ship is still standing in front of the ocean winds.

The ship was swept directly by a tornado, in a split second the deck burst into many pieces, the river-lamp fell into the sea, the side of the ship burst out, water flooded into the compartment. Only about 5 minutes, the ship rolled and turned upside down. Six sailors hugged plastic cans, tires plunged into the dark one-color sea. The cry for help faded away, weakened, then only the very light breathing of the exhausted people remained. Luckily Tu Thang was able to hold the tire, then he was too tired to fit into a small circle, trying to hold his arms and legs. The other brothers, holding onto plastic cans that could not stand the wind, let go of their hands, then sank into the seabed.

After eight famous floating uncertainties in the middle of the sea, at the dawn of the next day, Mr. Thang was now exhausted, and suddenly felt a strong hand grasp his body. When he woke up, he found himself lying in a warm blanket on a dry cabin, and turning his head sideways to find a familiar colleague on board the old train. Mr. Thang hugged you and cried.

So only 2 people were saved during that fateful trip. Returning to the shore, Tu Thang was taken care of by the family of captain Le Tan Cuong until the day he was well.

Tu Thang wanted to accept Captain Cuong as his brother, but Mr. Cuong just laughed, saying that Vietnamese fishermen from all ages are brothers and sisters. Mr. Cuong told Tu Thang not to be too fussy about the past, but to stick to the sea, love the sea and ready to help anyone in distress at sea. Because of that teaching, the love of the sea in Tu Thang’s heart is always deep, and in hardship remains intact.

Because of the deep love, but only Captain Cuong called out an hour, Mr. Thang was ready to go, leaving without a moment of hesitation. A year, Mr. Thang goes to Truong Sa beach at least 1 trip, each year at most 5 trips. The rest of the time, he returned to his hometown in Kien Giang, following a friend’s ship here and there, wandering in the sea.

The seafarers live by the pride and dignity of the man. Human love at sea is no longer a matter of debate. Because of that, many fishermen with heavy debt cannot leave the sea. Captain Nam Hat, despite turning 60 years old with nearly 50 years of fighting the ocean, is still firmly on the steering wheel before many seasons of rough seas. All his life, Mr. Nam Hat traveled throughout the seas from Hoang Sa, Truong Sa to the Southwest. Many times life was fragile in front of the ship, due to natural disasters and human ears, but he never wavered. To him, if he had to die on the sacred sea and sky of the Fatherland, he still stubbornly accepted it.