Cuttle fishing at night at Dung Quat bay

 Cuttle fishing at night has been a traditional industry for fishermen in Binh Thanh and Binh Dong communes, Binh Son district for over 30 years. There are currently 400 families who catch cuttlefish. When the sunset comes, hundreds of small motorboats and junks set off five nautical miles from the Sa Can gate to fish for cuttle.  

 The fishing tool is a 10-metre coil of fishing line, together with 8-10 iron hooks. Nguyen Nang Hong who has spent over 30 years fishing for cuttle, said that the season for cuttle fishing is from March to June. According to Mr. Hong, to successfully catch big cuttle, fishermen must rely on the tides and have good fishing technique.

Years ago, fishermen used lanterns to attract cuttle. In recent years, they use batteries to power lights, because the fish is attracted by light.

According to fishermen, cuttle fishing is a hard work because they are not allowed to sleep.

 A cuttle is caught.

Mr. Hong is happy to catch a big cuttlefish. Thanks to strong experience, each night, on average, he can catch 70 cuttlefish of different size, selling them to earn about VND500,000.

 At five a.m, hundreds of cuttle fishing boats come to the shore. The fish is often sold immediately with high prices.

According to Mr Nguyen Duy Khac, Binh Thanh commune Party Committee Secretary, the traditional fishing contributed to improving people’s living standard, promoting local socio-economic development. “From March, fishermen often bring in large catches, earning VND300-700,000 each night,” he said.