Raising 'smart, clean-living' fish earns hundreds of millions of dong
Two species of fish that are "smart eaters and clean dwellers" are eels and snakehead fish, which are successfully raised by old farmer Vo Tuan Tu, earning hundreds of millions of dong each year.
Mr. Tu's family in Chau Truc village, My Chau commune, Phu My district, Binh Dinh province has changed their lives thanks to these two fish species. The eel farm of old farmer Vo Tuan Tu has an area of up to 20,000 m2.
He started raising eels in 2000 and for 7 consecutive years, Mr. Tu still suffered continuous losses and accumulated debts. There was a year when he suffered losses due to natural disasters, with the peak loss reaching 1.6 billion VND.
After failing, farmer Vo Tuan Tu sought a new direction for himself. He believed that in addition to spending all day "eating and sleeping" to understand fish diseases, farmers need to listen to what the fish want.
So, Mr. Tu planned to invest in raising eels and snakehead fish in a very careful and scientific way. Every website, book, newspaper… that shared experiences in raising eels and snakehead fish was searched and studied by Mr. Tu, not missing a single word or image.
Mr. Tu said that goby and eel have the same eating habits (clean environment, fresh bait) and similar rearing time. Besides, these are both high-value specialties so they are very popular with customers.
To prepare fresh food, Mr. Tu buys scrap fish from fishermen in Tra O lagoon and processes it into eel food himself, ensuring safety for the animals while reducing costs.
According to Mr. Tu, the above two types of fish are very susceptible to skin diseases, so farmers need to understand the cause of the disease to prevent it. The way to prevent the disease is very simple, he does not use chemicals or antibiotics in pond renovation and water treatment, but only uses microbial fermentation technology from ingredients such as molasses, sugar, and rice bran.
In addition to eels and goby fish, Mr. Tu also raises other delicious fish species such as grass carp.
Currently, Mr. Tu has invested more than 1.5 billion VND to own 4 solid eel and snakehead fish ponds, capable of withstanding natural disasters. With 3,000 eels and 1,000 snakehead fish, he raises them separately using a rotation method, selling 1 pond each year to have money to cover living expenses and invest in the next crop.
“It takes 1.5 to 2 years for fish to be raised before they can be sold. Initially, the fry only weigh 100g, but when sold, they weigh more than 1kg. If there are no natural disasters, the profit can be up to 400 million VND/year,” said Mr. Tu. According to Mr. Tu, the model of raising eels and snakehead fish is a way to get rich in the countryside.
