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The profession is only enlisted at night, the income is higher than rice farming

Many farmers in Ha Tinh take advantage of the night to go to the fields to catch crabs. Side work but brings a much higher income source than rice farming.

In the days of October and November, when the rice has been harvested, many people in Cam Xuyen and Thach Ha districts, Ha Tinh province, invite each other to the fields to catch crabs. Crabs often come out of their burrows at night to forage. As the sun went down, crab hunters began to gear up for the practice. To catch crabs, workers need to equip with a lamp, gloves, boots, and a bucket to store.

The profession is only enlisted at night, the income is higher than rice farming
When the sun goes down, it’s time for crab hunters to start work (Photo: Xuan Sinh).

“Crabs are quite easy to catch even though they have two very powerful claws. If you let two claws hit your hand, it’s very painful, so you need to wear gloves when catching this animal,” said Pham Van Tien (42 years old, residing in Cam Son commune. , Cam Xuyen district) said.

Along the rice fields in the Thach Xuan and Tan Lam Huong communes of the Thach Ha district, or in the Cam Son and Cam Thinh communes of the Cam Xuyen district, the lights of crab hunters still sparkle at night.

In each field, there are dozens of diligent hunters to find and capture this animal. After one to two hours, each person can catch 2-3kg of crabs.

To avoid being caught by crabs, as well as to prevent snake bites, crab catchers must wear protective gloves and boots (Photo: Xuan Sinh).

“Every night we just take advantage of going to catch one to two hours and then return. Some days we catch a lot, and some days less. But on average, each night, we both earn about 300,000-400,000 VND (2$),” he said. Tien added.

Mr. Tien revealed that if you want to catch crabs, you have to be quick and quick because this animal is very fast, just need to see the light to run away, find a hiding place or go deep into the cave. The crab catcher when moving must be gentle, avoiding creating vibrations on the water surface, causing the crab to run away.

“Crab is available in any season, but October and November are the best. This season’s crabs are fat because the field has a lot of food,” Tien said.

It is also dark when the crabs come out of the cave to find food (Photo: Xuan Sinh).

Similarly, Tran Thi Huong and her husband (45 years old, from Thach Xuan commune, Thach Ha district) go to catch crabs almost every night. The job only took advantage of a few hours in the evening but brought a fairly high income for her family.

“My husband and I work as farmers, we have more than 5 Sao (5,000 ) of field. In our spare time, everyone can do whatever they want. In the evening, we go out to the field to catch crabs. Almost every day, every season, we go to catch crabs, except On rainy days or when it’s too cold, we usually leave at 7pm, return 2-3 hours later. Thanks to this job, we have money to cover our lives,” said Ms. Huong.

Crabs often use 2 claws to attack, so crab catchers must have gloves (Photo: Xuan Sinh).

According to Ms. Huong’s calculations, compared to rice farming, catching field crabs brings much higher income.

“With 5 Sao of field, each crop after deducting all costs, the profit is only a few million dongs. Going to catch crabs does not cost anything, but every night we also earn 200,000-300,000 dong,” Ms. Huong compares.

This season’s crabs are very fat (Photo: Xuan Sinh).

When caught, traders buy them right at the foot of the field for 60,000-70,000 VND/kg. After that, traders will sell them in many different localities.

Every night thanks to the work of catching crabs for sale, many people have an additional income of 200,000-300,000 VND (Photo: Xuan Sinh).

After being washed and preliminarily processed, field crabs can cook many delicious dishes such as crab soup, vermicelli, and crab hotpot. This is a nutritious food, rich in protein, easy to prepare, so it is loved by many people.

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