Cage fish farming "overcome land" in the upper Lam River

(Baongehan) - Cage fish farming in the upper Lam River is maintained and developed by people in the three districts of Tuong Duong, Con Cuong and Anh Son, bringing in a good income. However, since the construction of the Ban Ve and Khe Bo hydroelectric dams on the river, the river water has been sometimes shallow and sometimes full, causing difficulties for cage fish farmers. In the face of these challenges, people have been creative and adaptive to maintain the profession.

Cage fish farming in Tuong Duong district currently has two forms, which are farming on hydroelectric reservoirs and on rivers. The first form has only recently appeared when the two hydroelectric plants Khe Bo and Ban Ve came into operation, while in the areas along the river, cage fish farming has existed for a long time. The land famous for cage fish farming is Cua Rao 1 village (Xa Luong commune), there were times when more than 50 households in the village did this job. In the village, there are 4 brothers famous for the profession: Dau Van Viet, Dau Van Hanh, Dau Van Toan, Dau Van Phuc and 2 brothers Nguyen Huu Sy and Nguyen Huu Quyen, who have been passed down through many generations.

Cage fish farming in Tan Hoa village, Bong Khe (Con Cuong).

People working in Cua Rao always unite to support each other to overcome difficulties and hardships. Mr. Dau Van Viet shared: “In the past, when the riverbed had not dried up, in Xa Luong commune, people raising fish in cages had a better standard of living than purely agricultural ones. At that time, people raised fish for sale at the market. The fish species chosen for raising were grass carp, bighead carp, grass carp, and common carp. Now that the river has dried up, people still overcome difficulties to maintain a few dozen smaller cages, to suit the shallow water environment; the farming method has also changed to natural farming. According to this method, although farmed fish grow slowly, their meat is firm, fragrant, and delicious, and is favored by the market. The output is easy to consume, restaurants and hotels come to order. Thanks to that, each cage brings in an income of over 15 million VND/year. In addition to raising traditional breeds, local people also develop specialty breeds such as goby, yellow croaker, etc. With these breeds, the selling price is usually from 150 to 160 thousand VND/kg. Cage fish farming inherently requires very strict water resources, just a small change in the environment can make affecting the health of fish. Remember in 2012, during a hydroelectric plant repair and water discharge into the river, because the water contained grease and other waste, many fish cages in the Cua Rao area suffered great damage.

Before the hydroelectric power plant was built, there were about 30 large and small cages along the Nam Non River down to Hoa Binh Town every year. Now the river water is dry, and fish farming on the river in the communes of Tam Dinh, Tam Quang, Tam Thai, Thach Giam, etc. is completely deserted. Mr. Lo Kham Kha, Head of the Agriculture Department of Tuong Duong district, said: "Currently, including the main stream of Lam River flowing through Tuong Duong, there are only 26 cages, with an average productivity of about 0.3 tons/cage. The number of cages on the river has decreased but has developed strongly in the Khe Bo and Ban Ve Hydropower reservoirs. Recently, the district has had a project to develop fish cages until 2016 and support households to implement the project. In addition to the province's policy, the district has allocated an additional 6 million VND from the investment budget for each cage. There are currently 138 cages in Ban Ve Hydropower reservoir and 12 cages in Khe Bo Hydropower reservoir. The investment and development of this number of fish cages has created jobs and income for many local workers, contributing greatly to hunger eradication and poverty reduction to stabilize their lives."

Cage-raised fish weighing more than 4 kg (small photo)

In Con Cuong district, the river section adjacent to Tuong Duong, cage fish farming is also being valued by people living along the river. The cage fish products here are mainly grass carp raised in a semi-natural way. In addition to natural food, the fish are also supplemented with food including grass, bananas, corn, beans, etc. Because the river water is deeper, people make larger cages with a larger number of fish. Mr. Le Van Quang and his wife, Mrs. Tran Thi Chinh (Chi Khe commune), have been involved in this profession for more than 10 years. According to them, this profession used to face a difficult time from July to October due to heavy rains and floods. At that time, the water was strong, not only did they fear that the ropes would break and the cages would drift away, but they also feared that the current would be strong and the water would be turbid with impurities, causing the fish to become sick. In the dry season, there were also separate worries.

This season, the water level is low, the weak flow is not enough to provide oxygen and plankton for fish. In recent years, when building hydroelectric power plants on the river, the water level is almost low all year round, but when the hydroelectric power plant releases water, the river level suddenly rises like a flood. At this time, the anchor rope of the fish cage is loose, so the cage floats on the water surface, following the strong current to drift diagonally onto the shore, onto the beach. Usually, it is drifted to a height of several meters above the river surface. With an average weight of 1.5 tons per fish cage, it is extremely difficult to urgently lower the cage into the river to avoid the fish dying by drying out. Many villagers must be mobilized to hope to save the cage. Recently, in Chi Khe commune, the cages of Mr. Nguyen Van Ha's family, Mr. Phuong in Bai Oi and some households in Dinh Son commune bordering Con Cuong ran aground and had to rely on dozens of people in the neighborhood to come and help.

But that is also lucky, because if the rope breaks, the cage will be swept downstream. Finding it again is very difficult and the whole year's farming will be lost. That is the reason why many households are reluctant to maintain the fish cage farming profession on the river. But looking at the reality, fish cage farming is still effective, so according to Mr. Nguyen Khac Sy - Head of the Agriculture Department of Con Cuong district: "Fish cages in the area have decreased due to shallow rivers and poor environment. Although it is difficult, people in Chi Khe, Bong Khe, Lang Khe communes still do not give up the profession, these communes still have 30 large and small cages. Although the life of cage owners is difficult, it is still better than that of purely agricultural households".

On the Lam River section through Anh Son district, the number of fish cages has decreased compared to the previous period, currently there are only about 20 cages concentrated in Dinh Son, Lang Son and Long Son communes. The number of fish cages has decreased due to the shallow and polluted water source downstream. According to Mr. Pham Sy Tuan (Dinh Son commune) and many other households, fish cage farming brings practical benefits, is a lifeline for households with little land, and contributes greatly to stabilizing life. The problem for the entire upstream area is not that the water is shallow, but that when the hydropower plant closes and releases water, it is necessary to promptly notify fish farmers. The number of fish cages in the 4 districts along Lam River is not more than a few hundred, it is possible to contact some households directly by phone so that they can inform each other. Avoid situations like recently, when the hydropower plant releases water at midnight, the fish cages float up to the high ground, and when they suddenly close, many cages run aground, fish die or the whole village has to struggle, struggling to push the fish cages along the gradually receding water source. Cage fish farmers are looking forward to the two hydropower companies Ban Ve and Khe Bo, along with the district and commune authorities, having a specific plan and informing the people so that they can proactively respond whenever water resources are regulated to minimize damage to cage fish farming on the river. This is also a necessary action to encourage the development of cage fish farming, create jobs, and increase income for households on both sides of the upper Lam River.

Article and photos:Thanh Quynh