Many often head to Van Ninh District, Khanh Hoa Province for collecting sipunculus nudus from February to August...
Many often head to Van Ninh District, Khanh Hoa Province for collecting sipunculus nudus from the second to eighth month of lunar calendar in recent 10 years. Sipunculus nudus is known as peanut worms, commonly found in a sand flat, in an exposed intertidal zone during low tide.
Nguyen Thi Chuong, Van Long Commune says “I have done this work for 12 years. Sipunculus nudus is selling well. Our family members, including my husband and my brothers, can collect 5-6kg of sipunculus nudus during each tide. 1kg of fresh sipunculus nudus costs VND2-2.5 million."
Another digger named Phan Van Dung in Van Khanh Commune says, "It is worth our hours of sweaty labor. It provides an income for many people. One can earn VND300,000-400,000 or more a day."
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| Collecting Sipunculus nudus in Xuan Dong Village, Van Hung Commune. |
The worms hide in sand, so it is quite difficult to catch them. Dead sipunculus nudus is unsold.
The worms can be found along the coasts in Van Hung Commune, Cam Lam District, Nha Trang City. Some fishermen or farmers spend their free post-harvest time on collecting sipunculus nudus. Sipunculus nudus collected in Van Ninh is purchased and processed into dried seafood in Van Long Commune and some other communities.
At its peak, over 1 ton of sipunculus nudus can be sold by hundreds of diggers, says Nguyen Thi Mai, a sipunculus nudus purchaser in Hai Trieu Village, Van Long Commune.
Sipunculus nudus digging becomes popular, thus the worms become scarce, at a risk of exhaustion due to over-exploitation. A provincial level subject on artificial sipunculus nudus breeding production and commercial sipunculus nudus aquaculture in Khanh Hoa has been checked, promising to give solutions to the problem.
The 2nd phase of the subject will be approved and implemented focusing on commercial sipunculus nudus aquaculture techniques and technical transfer to local residents. This approach aims to protect and develop the sipunculus nudus resource.
N.T
