Every day at 1 a.m., more than 50 fishermen from Vinh Moc village in Cua Tung commune (formerly Vinh Linh district) set sail in their composite boats to fish for herring. After 2-3 hours of casting their nets, the boats return to shore one after another.

On the beach, the fishermen use lamps and headlamps to remove the fish from the nets. Four people hold the four corners of the net and shake it vigorously, letting the herring fall onto a tarp spread on the ground. Many fish are tightly tangled, requiring them to be removed by hand while still fresh to be sold during the night.

Ho Van Thanh said herring are present year-round, with the biggest catches from after the Lunar New Year to the end of the 4th lunar month. "At this time last year there were almost no herring, but this year the catch is abundant," he said.

Each boat carries 2-3 fishermen, venturing more than one nautical mile offshore, to waters deeper than 12 m. They cast nets 600-1,000 m long and 9 m wide, with floats attached at the top and weights at the bottom, creating a long net wall that intercepts the fish's path. "Herring live near the surface and swim in schools, making them easy to catch in nets," Thanh explained.

Around 4 a.m., the fishermen begin hauling their nets back to shore. For the past 10 days, the largest hauls have been around 600 kg per boat, while the smallest are around 50 kg.

Le Phung (left) and his two sons caught 250 kg of herring on this trip. It took his family from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. to untangle the fish from the net.

In addition to wholesale, herring sold at retail markets are typically large, with intact gills and fins.

After being shaken from the nets, the fish lie scattered on the tarp, and the fishermen work together to drag it closer to the shore for cleaning.

Herring have bluish skin, elongated bodies, and many small bones. They are sold wholesale for 12,000-15,000 VND/kg and retail for 20,000 VND/kg. This species is used in salads, grilled, fried, dried, and other dishes.

The fish are placed in plastic trays and washed with seawater to remove sand and impurities. Many women use shoulder poles to carry the fish to market.

Some people use modified carts to transport the herring to the main road for delivery to traders.

The fish are packed in ice-filled trays and loaded onto trucks for distribution. Trader Ho Thi Thinh said she transports herring to markets in Quang Tri and several North Central Coast provinces. "On busy days I buy 12 tons, and on slow days, 4 tons," she said.

The boats are pulled onto the beach of Vinh Moc village in Cua Tung commune. After removing all the fish, the fishermen clean and dry their nets, preparing for the next day's journey.

Dac Thanh