Ca Mau province has three sides with sea, with a length of 254 km coastline, with fishing ground of over 100,000 km2, with many aquatic resources, so fishing on the sea is very developed. It can be said that marine fishing has long been associated with fishermen in coastal Ca Mau.
Afternoon on the estuary of the Ong Doc river, Tran Van Thoi. Photo: Huynh Lam.
According to many documents still kept, marine exploitation in Ca Mau was formed from some migrants to reclaim, open land, set up business on this land. At first, due to the needs of life and livelihoods, apart from rice transplanting, growing crops, raising livestock and poultry, harvesting forest products and fish, some spontaneously people expanded the fishing industry to catch on the sea. Prior to 1975, fisheries played a secondary role, self-sufficiency. Most of the marine fishing vessels have small tonnage and capacity, only exploited in near-shore waters. In which, focus in some main sea port as Ong Doc, Rach Tau, Rach Goc and Ganh Hao. The major seasons for fishermen fishing at these estuaries are on the fish markets (March, April, June to August). The behavior of clubfish on the association often slows the pace, moves the circle and moves slowly into the shallows. They go to each group and then densely. Sometimes they float to the surface of the water to wave up. As swimming, the fish signal “lumps, lumps”, and at a distance of hundreds of meters people still hear very well. When detecting the fish, the fishermen at the estuary drum or whistle to signal to each other. So the fishermen of these estuaries mobilized all sorts of nets into the fish and then jumped into the sea, swam along the fish, cut a net, put the fish in the belly, and snatched their bubble (due to bubble fish of high economic value) tight on the back, fish carcasses are left floating in the sea.
Particularly at small estuaries (due to the influence of the war), most of them are filled by silt, they are not dredged, so their means of exploitation are very rudimentary and small. Mainly practice gill nets, bottom nets, etc. in the shore.
Nghinh Ong festival of Ong Doc river residents. Photo: Huynh Lam.
After 1975, especially after the fifth storm in 1997, Ca Mau's marine exploitation suffered heavy losses in people and facilities. In view of the above situation, the Government and other ministries and central agencies have paid much attention to develop the fishing industry of the Southern provinces. Ca Mau province was invested to implement the project “offshore fishing” and “overcome after 5th storm in 1997”. From these two projects, the fishing industry in Ca Mau has developed rapidly. By the end of 2016, Ca Mau province has 4,563 fishing vessels with a total capacity of 581,099 CV. Of which, there are 3,256 vehicles with a capacity of 20 CV or more. Many of the fishermen 's vessels have landed and exploited for several days at sea. The main exploitation lines such as rakes, purse seines, squid fishing, gill nets, etc. and high productivity. Many fishermen in the estuaries of Ong Doc, Khanh Hoi, Cai Doi Vam, Rach Tau, Rach Goc, etc. invested, built new vehicles of marine exploitation and became billionaires from the sea. At the same time, it contributes to job creation, the development of fishing logistic services, the building and repairing of vessels, the supply of substantial materials to the domestic food market and export processing.
In order to efficiently exploit fishery resources, Ca Mau fishermen have invested in building many new boats and are equipped with modern equipment such as locomotives, fishermen, etc. Functional Ca Mau province invested in the construction of many infrastructure for the marine fishing industry such as Ca Mau fishing port, Ong Doc river fishing port, Hon Khoai fishing port and many anchorage areas for boats.
Fishermen exploiting and fishing in the sea in Ca Mau are very religious and respect the folk beliefs such as worshiping carp whales. Hon Da Bac people, Ong Doc river (Tran Van Thoi district) set up shrines and worshiped fish skeleton. Particularly, fishermen of Ong Doc river towns (Tran Van Thoi district) on the 14, 15, 16 February lunar year have held the traditional festival to welcome Whale to pray for the calm sea, the national security and fishermen to fish out luckily, fishing for shrimp is peaceful.
Nghinh Ong festival on Ong Doc river Festival was recognized by the provincial People's Committee as one of 40 intangible cultural heritages in the province so that the sectors and localities could preserve and promote the values and implement the management according to regulations under the law.