Needlefish fishing season

In the open sea or inland areas, there is always a species of hairtail fish that fishermen call “dragon-bodied sea fish” because of its long, silvery body and fins running along its back. This is the time of year when hairtail fish are caught, and many fishermen in the province have a good income from catching this species of fish with super-tangled trawl nets.

Traders buy needlefish at Cua Tung Fishing Port - Photo: HA

Sacred fish

While meticulously mending each super-tangled trawl net to prepare for the trip, when mentioning the dragon fish (also called oarfish, or old man fish), fisherman Tran Viet Thanh in Village 4, Gio Hai Commune, Gio Linh District said that in the spiritual beliefs of coastal fishermen, this is a sacred fish. When the dragon fish "luy bo" (washed ashore), fishermen always bury it, build a shrine to worship it, and burn incense. Because in the middle of the cold, dark night or stormy sea, fishermen in trouble always have a glimmer of hope and belief in the help of this fish.

Many fishermen who have spent their entire lives with the sea in the fishing villages along the coastal area from Hai Khe commune (Hai Lang district) to Vinh Thai commune (Vinh Linh district) still pass down many stories about the rescue of the needlefish; the times when this fish "landed on the shore" were buried by fishermen with the most respectful rituals...

The species of dragon fish that fishermen bury and worship is characterized by a silvery white body with many blue spots, about 4 - 8 m long; a red fin on the back and a long beard on the head... When the dragon fish "falls ashore", on that very day, the elders of the fishing village begin the work of finding a high, dry piece of land near the sea to set up an altar to pray to the gods and the local spirits to bury the dragon fish.

The burial site must have open terrain, facing the sea. The burial ceremony for the dragon fish takes place solemnly for 3 days. Every year, on the occasion of Lunar New Year, the village holds a solemn thanksgiving ceremony to pray for favorable weather, favorable winds, and a good harvest of shrimp and fish...

Profession brings high economic efficiency

Returning from a nearly 5-day, night-long trip to catch hairtail fish using a super-tangled gillnet in the fishing grounds around Con Co Island, fisherman Bui Dinh Hung in Ward 7, Cua Viet Town, Gio Linh District said that in recent years, many fishermen in Cua Viet Town, Gio Viet and Gio Hai Communes (Gio Linh District), and Cua Tung Town (Vinh Linh District) have invested in purchasing super-tangled gillnets to catch hairtail fish and many other types of seafood.

Super-fluffy trawl nets are spun from single-strand PE fibers (usually thinner than regular fluffy trawl nets), so when the net is dropped into seawater, the net fibers expand to form many small clumps with colors similar to the color of the seawater, making it easier for fish to get caught in the net.

Previously, fishermen caught hairtail with monofilament nets or by fishing offshore, but the catch was low and the economic efficiency was not high. The shape of hairtail is similar to that of an eel, with a pointed beak protruding forward, slightly large eyes, a wide mouth, many separate molars and small teeth in both jaws.

Adult needlefish are 0.7 - 1.2 m long and weigh 0.8 - 2 kg (many needlefish can weigh 3 - 4 kg). This fish is caught by trawl nets in the fishing grounds around Con Co Island (about 40 - 50 nautical miles from shore) and is usually 1 - 1.2 m long and weighs 1 - 2 kg, so it has high economic value.

Needlefish live in the open sea at a depth of about 70 - 100 m. From November of the previous year until March (lunar calendar) of the following year, needlefish often appear in schools in the coastal waters. Therefore, needlefish can be caught all year round in the offshore waters.

Mr. Thanh said that although currently the profession of catching hairtail fish using super-tangled trawl nets is not as popular as the profession of seining, scooping, and trawling, the economic efficiency of this profession is not inferior.

For example, from the Lunar New Year of Giap Thin - 2024 until now, his 400 CV offshore fishing boat has had 4 trips to catch needlefish using super-tangled trawl nets in the fishing grounds around Con Co Island with an average catch of 6 - 8 quintals of needlefish/trip; the current market price purchased by traders fluctuates from 100 - 120 thousand VND/kg, each trip will have an income of 70 - 100 million VND.

In previous years, needlefish were purchased by traders at a price of 150,000 - 200,000 VND/kg for export to China. Currently, needlefish are only consumed in the domestic market at a price of 100,000 - 120,000 VND/kg. Although the profession of catching needlefish with super-tangled gillnets brings high economic efficiency, Quang Tri fishermen still face difficulties in capital to invest in purchasing additional fishing gear. Currently, the maximum length of the super-tangled gillnets of offshore fishing vessels is only 2 - 5 nautical miles.

Meanwhile, fishermen from provinces such as Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh, and Quang Binh always use nets 8-10 nautical miles long when fishing in the fishing grounds around Con Co Island; the catch is therefore twice as much as the offshore fishing boats of Quang Tri fishermen, and it is normal for fishermen to earn 1-2 billion VND per trip catching needlefish.

According to fisherman Ho Si Duong in Dong Luat village, Vinh Thai commune, Vinh Linh district, needlefish is one of the aquatic species with high economic value, bringing income to fishermen in coastal areas with each fishing trip earning several million VND. Now is the rough sea season, to go to sea, many fishermen in coastal areas of Dong Luat village have to go to sea the day before to check the water color, waves, wind direction to predict the ocean currents, then decide what time of night they will go to sea.

Usually around 4-5am the next morning, fishermen from Dong Luat village start to get on their boats to go out to sea. The fishing ground for the deep-sea needlefish is only about 1-2 nautical miles from shore, so after they finish casting the trawl nets, the sky begins to brighten. At this time, the cold really seeps into the fishermen's skin. Only when they pull up the trawl nets with the silvery sparkle of the "dragon-bodied sea fish" does the cold disappear without them knowing...

Hai An

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