Nghe An: Getting rich from raising fish in cages in hydroelectric reservoirs

I escaped poverty

The whole province currently has about 1,250 medium and small irrigation and hydroelectric reservoirs, with millions of cubic meters of water.²water surface, is ideal condition for cage fish farming.

In the area of ​​Thong Thu and Dong Van communes of Que Phong district, since the Hua Na hydroelectric reservoir began storing water, about 80 households have participated in raising fish.cage fishWith 326 cages of various types of fish, from grass carp, climbing perch, sea bass... With stable prices, from 50,000 VND/kg or more, and the ability to raise a lot, cage fish farming has truly become a stable livelihood for the people here.

Fish cages of local people on the hydroelectric reservoir. Photo: T.D

Mr. Lang Van Sang - Pu Duoc village (Dong Van commune) said: In the past, his family also raised a few fish cages on Chu river, however, that type of small-scale fish cage farming only met the family's food needs. Due to lack of technical knowledge, many times the fish got sick and died, not only was there no harvest but also lost capital. After the reservoir was filled with water, his family decided to invest in making iron and synthetic plastic cages to raise fish.

Up to now, his family has 20 cages, connected together in a reasonable way, with appropriate and scientific distances between buoys and rafts, helping to avoid the risk of spreading disease. Currently, with 20 cages of grass carp and climbing perch, each year Mr. Sang's family harvests dozens of tons of fish. After harvesting, the fish are purchased by restaurants in Vinh City, Thai Hoa Town, etc.

Cage fish are mainly raised with natural food such as banana leaves, grass, and chopped ditch fish. Photo: TD

Mr. Tran Van Thuan, Pieng Van village (Dong Van commune) has 60 cages of various types of fish. He said that with the current selling price of 50,000 VND/kg, his family earns more than 700 million VND per year. After deducting expenses, he has a profit of nearly 200 million VND. From hunger, his family has risen out of poverty.

Mr. Thuan shared: In the past, people mainly raised fish spontaneously, so the efficiency was still not high. Many times, the fish got sick and they did not know how to treat it, so they died in large numbers, causing huge losses. Later, agencies, departments and branches gave specific instructions, so the fish got sick less often, and if they did get sick, they knew how to treat it immediately.

In addition to fish such as grass carp and climbing perch, many people also raise goby fish which have high economic value. Photo: TD

InHua Na Lake, people raise fish mainly with natural food such as banana leaves, grass and small ground ditch fish. The fish breed is imported from traders in Dien Chau, Quynh Luu. Each cage releases 200 - 300 fish, usually 1 year after release they will be harvested. But depending on the needs of the buyer, they can choose to gradually sell in the cage.

Not only in Que Phong district, in Tuong Duong district, cage fish farming is also widely implemented by local people, mainly in Ban Ve hydroelectric reservoir and Khe Bo hydroelectric reservoir. At Ban Ve hydroelectric reservoir, by the end of 2020, there were 338 fish cages of all kinds raised by people from Yen Na, Luong Minh, Huu Khuong communes and some households resettled by Ban Ve hydroelectric plant from Ngoc Lam (Thanh Chuong) returning to the reservoir to participate in farming.

Taking advantage of the large water surface area, many households have built highly effective cage fish farming models. Photo: TD

Mr. Lo Van Chuong - formerly from Luan Mai commune, after being resettled to Ngoc Lam commune (Thanh Chuong), he lived for a while then sent his children to study, while he and his wife returned to their hometown, built a shack to raise cows and pigs and built a few fish cages in the lake. Mr. Chuong said that raising fish does not require much effort, the food for fish is mainly vegetables and grass so it is easy to find. Every year, from raising cows and fish cages, Mr. Chuong's family also has a stable income of 40-50 million VND without having to worry about hunger.

Not proactive in breeding

Mr. Luong Thai Quy - Chairman of Dong Van Commune People's Committee (Que Phong) shared: Currently, Dong Van commune has 4/6 villages located around the lake, so people in the commune have been proactive in raising fish in cages to develop the economy. This is also considered a spearhead of local development. In Dong Van commune alone, there are more than 30 households participating in fish farming.

According to Mr. Quy, thanks to the State's support policy, fish farming households have saved most of the initial costs. "Recognizing the great efficiency of cage fish farming, almost every time there is a support program, people immediately register," Mr. Quy added.

After 1 year of raising fish, people have earned tens of millions of dong from cage fish. Photo: TD

Although the output of caged fish is not a concern, what people are concerned about is that in Tuong Duong and Que Phong districts there are no large-scale fish hatcheries, so people still have to depend on fish fry from traders in the lowlands. Therefore, when transported long distances, some fish species cannot adapt to the weather and climate conditions of the mountainous region, so the quality of the fry is not high, the fish grow slowly, affecting the production development of households participating in caged fish farming.

Each fish when harvested weighs from 3-5kg, with the lowest price of 50,000 VND/kg as it is now, the fish has become a way out of poverty for people in the area around the hydroelectric reservoirs. Photo: TD

Mr. Lo Kham Kha - Head of the Agriculture Department of Tuong Duong district said: Currently, in Tuong Duong district, the model of raising fish breeds is just starting to emerge but the efficiency is not high. The passiveness in providing fish breeds makes the scale of cage fish farming not reach the highest efficiency, so a large area of ​​the lake is still empty.

Mr. Phan Trong Dung - Head of the Department of Agriculture of Que Phong district added: People raising fish in cages still carry the burden of local production customs, fish are raised in many seasons, many batches, so the efficiency of aquaculture is not high. Moreover, due to uneven educational level, lack of knowledge about applying science and technology in aquaculture, besides the low level of intensive investment, it also greatly affects productivity./.