QUANG NAM – Using the force of the boat to push the mud and sand on the bottom of the Truong Giang River, the group of workers soaked in the water, took the racquet to catch the concubine – a specialty that was once promoted to the king.
In mid-June, at the confluence of the Tam Ky River, which empties into Truong Giang, Nui Thanh district, brackish water dried up, and people came to catch the concubines in boats. Each trip has 3-4 people. On the river, the boats are more than 50 meters apart.
More than 2pm, the workers came to the water about a meter deep, there is a sandy beach below, 20 meters from the shore, where many birds live. Mr. Tran Van Tho, 23 years old, Tam Tien commune, Nui Thanh district, planted a 4-meter-long stake and fixed the boat with ropes.
The boat was fixed, Mr. Tho started the engine, causing the propeller to create a strong force to push the water to erode the sand on the riverbed, lying in the sand and being swept away by the water. They put the racket in the air, and the mud was pushed out. The boat moves in a circle on the river to catch the fish, when it runs out, it moves to another place.
The turbid turbulent waters form deep holes in the river bottom, revealing the gallop. The worker uses a bamboo racket of more than 3 m, the bottom attaches a net bag to catch.
After 5 minutes of dropping the racquet, Mr. Tran Xuan Hao, 24 years old, from Tam Tien commune, brought up five birds with shells, shells, and garbage into a plastic basket.
Mr. Tran Xuan Hieu, 21 years old, cleans the mud and takes the cockles. “A worker works from three to six hours a day. When picking up the shell, if not careful, sharp objects will cut the skin,” he shared.
Mud, mud and mixed waste are treated clean. The hunters catch the big, and the small ones, and the shells and garbage are thrown out.
Near evening, the water rises, the workers stop working. Before driving the boat back to the wharf, they sorted out the water worms and put them in a basket to wash and sell.
A group of four people caught 30 kg of phi and 7 kg of water worms and collected nearly 1.5 million VND. Excluding the cost of oil nearly 200,000 VND, each person collects 300,000 VND. “This profession depends on the water. On dry days, you can catch a lot, in big water, you can catch a little,” said Mr. Tho (black shirt) and said that this year’s running is less than previous years.
African mussels are similar to freshwater mussels, with thin shells, more than 5 cm long, and live in sand and mud more than 30 cm deep. Due to the delicious meat, rich in nutritional value, phi was a famous specialty once used to advance the king.
Phi was caught and sold to local traders for 25,000 VND/kg. This type is soaked in salt water with a salinity similar to brackish water for a day and night to release all the sand. After that, phi is processed into many delicious dishes such as steamed, cooked soup, fried, cooked porridge…
(According to vnexpress )