Eel farming, a sustainable direction in Yen Thanh

(Baonghean) - Yen Thanh eel has long been famous for its delicious taste and is a popular product in many places. In recent years, this product has not only been widely consumed in the province but also exported to major markets such as Hanoi, Hai Duong, China... This is achieved thanks to the close connection in providing breeds, raising, purchasing, processing and consuming by people in the district.

In previous years, when eels became a popular food, Yen Thanh people actively exploited this natural food source. Not only adult eels but also small eels with small weight and size were caught thoroughly. After a while, the supply of raw materials began to dry up, Yen Thanh eel specialty was at risk of disappearing. Faced with this situation, people tried to improve the situation by raising eels in muddy environments, in earthen ponds or raising eels to breed. However, these methods were not effective. The reason is that in muddy environments it is very difficult to care for and prevent diseases, making eels grow slowly and easily infected. There are cases where after raising, the total weight of eel meat is lower than the weight of eel seeds before release. After a period of "struggling" to find a way, now in the midst of difficulties, farmers have found their own development direction and brought great benefits. In the district, many eel farming models have appeared applying science and technology. From here, people have established a chain with connections between businesses to maintain the source of eel meat for the market without depleting the source of breed.

Customers import eel at Mr. Nguyen Van Khan's facility (Long Thanh, Yen Thanh).

Yen Thanh people are applying the mud-free eel farming method. This is a simple farming method and achieves higher economic efficiency than the traditional farming method of many other localities. Thanks to this effective farming method, farmers can sell nearly tons of eels each year. Mr. Nguyen Van Chung (My Thanh, Yen Thanh) is the investor of an eel farm consisting of 5 tanks, each tank is nearly 10m2 in area. Through practical research in the locality and other provinces, he realized that developing the mud-free eel farming model can bring great economic efficiency, so in 2013 he boldly invested 90 million VND to build barns and accompanying auxiliary systems. The farming tanks must be tiled with ceramic tiles and have drainage holes at the bottom. After careful disinfection, he placed 3 round bamboo frames in the farming tanks to provide shelter for the eels. Once the facilities were completed, he took advantage of the eel seed supply from neighboring communes such as Khanh Thanh, Long Thanh, Ly Thanh... to build a seed supply network with guaranteed quality.

Eel fry weighing 1 kg has from 60 to 70 fish, after 6 months of care, the weight can be 80 times higher than the weight when sold. He raises each cage from 5 to 7 kg of fry. In 2013, a total of 5 cages with 2 sales produced nearly 1.5 tons of eel meat. Mr. Chung shared: “For eel farming, technique is the deciding factor for success or failure. If you master the technique, the farmer will have a very “leisurely” time and high income due to low costs. Taking advantage of local fry sources provided by local people, the price of fry is not high, only fluctuating from 50 - 70 thousand VND/kg. On the other hand, eels are omnivorous, so the food source can be small fish (mainly perch) with a price of only about 5 thousand VND/kg. When the eels reach a weight of nearly 5 taels each, they can be sold for a price of 150 - 180 thousand VND/kg”. The weight of Yen Thanh eel is not high, the maximum adult eel is only from 5 to 6 taels. While in other localities such as Hung Nguyen, Thanh Chuong... an eel weighs around 1 kg. However, the deliciousness, toughness and aroma of Yen Thanh eel is considered superior. Based on the characteristics of the genetic source as well as the soil and natural conditions, the eel here has its own unique characteristics.

In addition to households specializing in providing breeds and raising eels for meat, there are also many traders in the district who collect eels to supply to large markets. This is an important link in developing the eel farming profession in the district. Mr. Nguyen Van Khan (Nam Lam hamlet, Long Thanh commune) is one of the large eel collectors in Yen Thanh. Every day, his facility imports about 1.5 tons of eels from inside and outside the district and transports and sells them to customers inside and outside the province, mainly the Hanoi market and partly to China. During the peak time of the year from July to October of the lunar calendar, the amount of goods consumed is very large. At this time, in addition to the fixed workforce of 30 people, he has to hire 8 to 10 more people to complete the work.

In addition to collecting, his facility also processes products for customers in need. Eels will be boiled, cleaned and frozen. With this method, transportation and supply will be the most convenient and hygienic. Because the eel has a slimy layer covering its body, it is not possible to transport eels at high density, causing the eel layer underneath to be crushed and easily suffocated and die. In addition, when transporting eels over long distances, the eel meat will no longer be firm and delicious. Therefore, this processing method will be suitable for consumption points over 100 km away. Domesticated eels have good resistance and are less likely to be infected. Moreover, this item is also easy to consume because in addition to restaurants and hotels, people often order it for weddings, death anniversaries and Tet. Many times, customers from outside the district bring vehicles to buy and deposit up to hundreds of kilograms each time.

Through research, it is known that Long Thanh commune currently has more than 20 households raising eels, which is considered one of the spearheads of the commune's livestock industry, contributing to hunger eradication, poverty reduction, and stabilizing people's lives. It can be said that creating close links between people in providing breeds, farming, collecting and consuming has created great strides in bringing Yen Thanh eels to the large market.

Article and photos:Thanh Quynh