Aquatic products in flood season

In previous years, at this time, the flood season came and whitened the fields; people were busy catching aquatic products. But this year, at the present time, the water level is low, people have not been able to fully exploit aquatic products.

During the flood season in previous years, along the low-lying roads in the Dong Thap Muoi area of ​​Tay Ninh province, many people sat together to choose freshly harvested fish, crabs, and eels to sell to traders. This year, the atmosphere was gloomy as the water level was low and the amount of aquatic products was not much.

Having been setting fishing nets during the flood season for more than ten years, Mr. Dinh Trung Hieu (Lang Sen hamlet, Vinh Chau commune) said: “The flood season is also the time when people exploit aquatic products (spread nets, set hooks, set traps, etc.) to earn some extra income. Like previous years, around the 7th lunar month, I repaired the old fishing nets to catch fish. Because this year's water level is low, the amount of freshwater fish is not much. Currently, 10 fishing nets of my family can only harvest around 10 kg of various types of fish each day, selling for 200,000-300,000 VND.

As for Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tien (Vinh Chau commune), in the dry season, his family cultivates 1 hectare of rice, and in the wet season, he fishes to earn extra income. For over a week, he has been preparing fishing gear, rowing a boat along the rice fields after the 2025 Summer-Autumn rice harvest to pull the net. This year, although the flood season has arrived, water level is still low, and the amount of fish has also decreased significantly. “Each day I harvest 7-8kg of various types of fish, selling for 300,000-400,000 VND. Meanwhile, a few years ago, I caught a lot more and sometimes earned around a million VND" - Mr. Tien said.

Mr. Tran Nhat Khanh (Vinh Chau commune) has more than ten years of purchasing freshwater fish during the flood season, said: "At this time, in previous years, on average about 1 ton of freshwater fish was purchased each day, then sold in neighboring provinces. This year, there are few fish, so each day we only purchase about 100-200 kg. Not only is the output low but the variety is also not rich, mainly snakehead fish, naked catfish, catfish, and lady carp fish. Due to the small amount of freshwater fish, the price has also increased from 5,000-10,000 VND/kg, depending on the type."

The low amount of natural fish strongly affected households living on fishing during the flood season in the upstream areas of Dong Thap Muoi region of the province. In some markets in Tan Hung and Vinh Hung communes, the amount of fish is not as much as in previous years.

According to traders, this year, there are very few freshwater fish, so the selling price is also high. Currently, the price of snakehead fish and catfish ranges from 80,000-140,000 VND/kg, depending on the type; naked catfish ranges from 50,000-80,000 VND/kg; white smith's barb ranges from 30,000-50,000 VND/kg; and lady carp fish ranges from 90,000-120,000 VND/kg./.

Bty Staffs - Translated by Lien Thanh