From early morning, numerous bamboo rafts from Nam Sam Son ward push through the waves toward offshore waters. This is the peak period of the jellyfish season, when local fishermen take advantage of the opportunity to increase their income.

According to local fishermen, jellyfish often drift on the surface of the sea, making them easier to harvest than many other fishing activities. Fishermen only need to paddle their rafts about 1 - 2 nautical miles from the shore, watch for areas where jellyfish gather densely and scoop them up with nets.

Each trip usually involves two or three people. Fishermen typically leave the shore around 4 a.m. and return at about 9 a.m. If the weather remains favorable and jellyfish are still abundant, they often head back out to sea again in the afternoon for another round of harvesting.

Each trip lasts around five to six hours, and a single raft can collect between 200 and 300 jellyfish on average. With prices ranging from VND25,000 - VND30,000 per jellyfish (approximately US$1 - US$1.20), while red jellyfish can sell for VND30,000 - VND40,000 each (US$1.20 - US$1.60), many fishermen earn more than VND1 million (US$41) from a single trip.

Hoang Van Thanh, 53, a fisherman from Nam Sam Son ward, said jellyfish have appeared in larger numbers this year and are drifting closer to shore, making harvesting easier than in previous years.

“After just over four hours at sea, our three-person raft collected more than 200 jellyfish, earning over VND1 million. With both good catch and good prices, everyone is very pleased,” Thanh said.

Although jellyfish do not have the same economic value as some fish species such as pomfret or mackerel, they are much easier to harvest and involve less risk. Fishermen do not need to travel far offshore, as the catch can be found in nearshore waters.

According to many locals, jellyfish harvesting is relatively simple but requires coordination among crew members on the raft. Once a dense cluster of jellyfish is spotted, they spread nets to gather them together and then pull them aboard. Each jellyfish can be quite large and heavy, often requiring two people to lift it onto the raft.

The jellyfish season in Thanh Hoa usually lasts from the first lunar month to around the third lunar month. However, jellyfish do not appear in large numbers every year, so seasons with abundant catches like this year bring particular joy to coastal fishing communities.

After being brought ashore, the jellyfish are transported to collection points along the coast. Traders then move them to processing facilities where they are cleaned, the edible parts separated and prepared into various dishes such as jellyfish salad, mixed jellyfish salad or salted jellyfish.

Thanks to strong demand, especially during the coastal tourism season, jellyfish have become a popular seafood product among visitors. With their distinctive crunchy texture, jellyfish are not only a favored dish but also provide an important seasonal source of income for fishermen along the Thanh Hoa coast.

Le Duong