How do people catch this ugly-named, delicious-meat specialty fish in Ca Mau that they keep pumping water into the river so loudly?

Ms. Do Thi Hoa (in Tran Thoi commune, Cai Nuoc district, Ca Mau province) has been fishing for dog fish for 40 years. She has spent more time on boats, on boats fishing, and netting than on land, so she clearly knows the habits of this type of fish.

Dog fish live in large numbers in the estuaries of Ca Mau province.

According to Ms. Hoa, dogfish often go hunting in schools along river mouths leading to the sea. At river mouths with few boats going in and out, there will be more fish.

People then fished and used nets to catch dogfish. Nowadays, the production of dogfish is not as high as before and there are more people doing this job, so they cannot fish as much anymore, most people now fish with nets.

On Mrs. Hoa’s family’s boat, there is always about 1,000 meters of net to catch dogfish - a specialty fish. On a good day, she catches 20-30 kg, and on a bad day, she earns about 10 kg of dogfish. Mrs. Do Thi Hoa’s family has a stable life thanks to the income from catching this fish.

“This fishing is done every day without a day off, and many families invest a lot in torn nets. The nets are spread in the river and get stuck to tree roots so they tear easily. After about 7 months, a net set costs 5-6 million VND to replace. The daily income can reach a million VND, at least 300,000 - 400,000 VND,” said Ms. Hoa.

After spreading the net, people in the estuary of Ca Mau use poles to hit the fish to make them run into the net.

Having practiced this profession for so many years, Ms. Hoa and others still do not know exactly why the sea bass is called the dog bass.

They only heard from the elders that on the back of this fish there are some stripes like the color of a brindle dog's fur, so maybe that's why people call it dog-catch fish.

To catch catfish living in this brackish and salty water area, fishermen in the coastal area of ​​Ca Mau use 3-screen nets with mesh sizes of 7cm or more.

After spreading the net, they will use a pole to hit the water surface to make the fish move and run into the net. The fish caught in the net usually weigh from 0.3 to 1 kg. People also often join 2 to 3 boats to fish together to be able to surround more fish.

People who fish for dog fish - a specialty fish in the estuaries of Ca Mau - have a fairly high income.

According to Mr. Pham Van Phu, in Cai Nuoc town, Cai Nuoc district (Ca Mau province), catching fish is not difficult but the job is very hard, having to go from early morning until late afternoon. Many days he has to travel 70-80 km, but in return the income is quite high.

“To catch this fish, people have to sail around in circles, sometimes very far. During the rainy months, fishing is easier than during the sunny months, as the river is closer to the sea and there are more fish in the river than in the sea.

The price of fish depends on the type but is low at 30,000 - 40,000 VND/kg, large fish are sold for 60,000 - 70,000 VND/kg. After deducting the cost of fuel for each trip of 100,000 - 200,000 VND, people can earn 400,000 - 500,000 VND per day," said Mr. Phu.

Catfish is a type of catfish with soft, sweet, fragrant and slightly fishy meat. People here often cook hotpot with fermented rice or braised in soy sauce with this type of fish. Catfish is quite common in Ca Mau.

Especially in Thi Tuong lagoon - a famous tourist destination of "The Land at the End of the Sky" has a large fish yield and is exploited to become a typical dish, serving tourists.

Source: https://danviet.vn/ca-dac-san-ten-xau-xi-thit-cuc-ngon-nay-o-ca-mau-dan-bat-kieu-gi-ma-cu-dap-nuoc-song-am-am-20241018184700665.htm