Cage fish farming on the Nam Non River

(Baonghean) -Taking advantage of its location along the Nam Non River (a branch of the Lam River), over the past years, Xa Luong Commune (Tuong Duong) has focused on developing quite effective cage fish farming. This is also a profession that helps people sustainably eliminate hunger and reduce poverty.

Going along the Nam Non River, we saw fish cages lined up close together. According to the locals, this profession has been around since the liberation. Initially, some people experimented with raising fish to improve their family’s food supply, but since seeing the effectiveness, people have developed cage fish farming into a “father-to-son” profession.

Mr. Tran Van Thoa in Cua Rao II village - Xa Luong commune shared: “I have been raising fish in cages on the Nam Non river for more than 10 years. Thanks to this job, I have more money to cover my living expenses and send my children to school. This job requires perseverance and hard work like raising a “baby”. Every day my wife and I have to go cut grass and chop bananas to feed the fish. During the rainy season, the water flows rapidly, although we have “anchored” the cages carefully, we still have to keep watch every night for fear of being swept away by the water.”

Cage fish farming on the Nam Non river in Xa Luong commune (Tuong Duong).

Currently, Mr. Thoa raises a raft with over 170 grass carp, over 50 bream, a type of "medium" fish in the development stage that is very gluttonous, "devouring" over 100 kg of food every day, mainly milkweed and banana tree trunks. According to Mr. Thoa, fish feed using "homegrown" plants such as milkweed and banana tree trunks is less expensive, and the fish grow quickly. Meanwhile, using synthetic feed for fish is both expensive and the quality of the fish is low. With the district's support for milkweed seeds, Mr. Thoa has planted them in his home garden over 300m2, proactively providing food for the fish. Mr. Thoa added: Raising fish in rafts is done with daily harvesting, the price of grass carp is about 150,000 VND/kg, there are days when selling 5 kg of fish brings in 750,000 VND. Each fish cage annually harvests over 400 kg of fish, after deducting expenses, the profit is over 30 million VND/year. The reason why grass carp price in Tuong Duong market is expensive is because fish are raised in cages taking advantage of the natural environment, so the quality of fish meat is delicious and favored by customers.

Mr. Dau Van Phuc's family in Cua Rao I village raises 2 fish cages. Mr. Phuc happily tells the story of his profession: The conditions for raising fish in cages here are quite ideal, the river is straight, the water does not flow fast. To raise fish in cages, the fish cages must be built with alum wood frames taken from deep forests, this type of tree is very water-resistant, and can be used to raise fish in cages for over 20 years. The cost of building a fish cage is from 18 to 20 million VND/cage, because alum wood is rare. The fish cage is 6 meters long, 2.5 meters wide, 1.4 meters high, and can hold about 250 fish fry. The cages are released into the river at a depth of more than 1 meter. The fish breeds are mainly grass carp and silver carp, bought from Do Luong and Dien Chau fish farms. Usually, 4 fish/kg are released, this "mid-sized" fish quickly adapts to the environment.

Mr. Phuc added: My family has 2 fish cages on the river, each cage raises over 200 grass carp. The output for the fish market is very favorable, mainly customers come to "order" to sell to restaurants and markets in Hoa Binh Town. Each year, the revenue is over 70 million VND from 2 fish cages. To proactively source food, I grow over 1 hectare of milkweed, banana, cassava, so in the rainy season, cold season, I do not worry about lack of food for the fish. Grass carp is very easy to raise, many types of food in the area can be used to raise fish such as cassava leaves, corn leaves, corn cobs, elephant grass, milkweed, banana tree trunks...

A leader of Xa Luong commune said: Up to now, the whole Xa Luong commune has nearly 20 fish cages along the Nam Non river. From 2005 to now, the district has had a policy of supporting each newly built fish cage with 5 million VND. Providing milkweed seeds for people to grow as fish feed. In 2013, the district subsidized the cost and price of over 50 kg of fish fry for poor households. Cage fish farming on the river has given households a stable income. However, the biggest difficulty for cage fish farmers is care techniques. There are big harvests but there are also fish cages that are completely lost due to fish diseases. In addition to choosing quality fish breeds, during the process of feeding fish, do not give too much food to leave leftovers. Regularly clean cages to avoid pollution that causes fish diseases. Many people in Xa Luong have used folk "remedies" to treat fish diseases quite effectively. Specifically, tying a bunch of Indian pennywort leaves at both ends of the fish cage can cure intestinal bleeding in fish...

It is known that Khe Bo Hydropower Plant is storing water, the water level in the reservoir is stable, the commune will exploit the potential of the water surface, mobilize people to raise over 70 fish cages to increase income for the people. However, the commune is in dire need of the State's attention to create conditions for people to get preferential loans to build new cages, opening up a direction for economic development for the poor people in the mountainous areas with many difficulties.

Van Truong