During the last days of the year, Da Nang fishermen are busy raking snails from early morning to sell them in time. This job helps them earn millions every day.
Around 1 a.m., when the tide was receding, Mr. Vo Van Dung (residing in Man Thai ward, Son Tra district, Da Nang) and fishermen in the village went to the beach to rake snails.
Rice snails, also known as rice snails, are about the size of a shirt button, usually living under a layer of sand 0.5-2m above the water surface. They are considered by people to be a precious gift that nature gives to fishermen in the sea.
According to local people, snail season only lasts from the 12th lunar month to February of the following year. The days near Tet are the season when sea snails gather in groups, lying densely in the sea, so the fishermen are very excited, ignoring the fatigue after days of making a living in the fierce waves.
Tools for hunting snails are also very simple, including a pole made of bamboo or stainless steel, a metal scraper at one end and a long piece of net. On the body of the pole there is a belt for the fisherman to tie to his back to assist in pulling.
When raking snails, the rake stands in the opposite direction of the waves, holding the pole and scanning the bottom to put the snails into the net. When you see that the net is heavy, pick it up and shake it to remove the sand, then bring the snails to shore, remove the snails and then bag them (each bag is 1 box of 20kg).
Happy because he “won the trick” of snails today, Mr. Tran Tan Dung (residing in Son Tra district) said that this job depends on the tide, working 15 to 20 days a month.
Although the mining time is not much and the work is quite difficult, the snails help him earn a significant amount of income for year-end shopping.
“On some days, I earn 300,000 VND, sometimes more. Today, I went raking at 1:00 a.m., luckily I hit a spot with a lot of snails, collected 15 bags (about 300kg), earned more than 1 million VND.” , Mr. Dung confided.
Fisherman Tran Anh Bang said that during peak snail season, every day dozens of fishermen gather to rake. The people who do the job are mainly fishing villagers, because they are familiar with the waves and wind, know which sections can rake a lot of snails, and are easy to pull the rakes.
“Even though they fish near shore, fishermen still face many dangers,” Mr. Bang said and explained. Specifically, people raking snails must wade out into water up to their body level. If they encounter swirling, deep water or large waves, they can easily be swept away.
According to Mr. Bang, the snail rake always has to soak in water. During this season, the sea water is cold, so rakes are required to have good health and patience to harvest a lot.
“Today, I raked 10 bags of snails, traders bought them for 70,000 VND/box, so I earned 700,000 VND. It’s the season now, so people take the opportunity to go to the beach to rake snails to earn extra income for Tet shopping,” Mr. Bang confided.
A trader said that at the beginning of the season, snails are small in size so they are purchased as food for lobsters. Snails will get bigger after Lunar New Year, at this time people buy them to cook, so the selling price is higher.
($1~24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)