Raising rare red-tailed river fish, selling for 450,000 VND/kg

Red-tailed catfish is a freshwater fish that lives in deep, fast-flowing water basins with many rapids. Many localities in Dak Lak province have developed catfish farming, however, red-tailed catfish is raised by people in Hoa Phu commune, Buon Ma Thuot city along the Serepok river basin, which is well-known and has created a unique specialty brand of the region.

The majestic Serepok (a river that flows from East to West). The economic value of this fish is quite high, so in recent years, people have organized widespread fishing, causing the red-tailed catfish to gradually become depleted.

The model of raising catfish is developing strongly in many localities in Dak Lak province, because there is a suitable water source to help the fish grow quickly.

Faced with the risk of the precious fish species gradually disappearing in the Serepok River, in 2005, households in Hoa Phu Commune had the initiative to bring red-tailed catfish from the wild to raise in ponds, lakes, and the provincial water environment, along the Serepok River basin to both develop the economy and preserve the natural red-tailed catfish gene source.

Mr. Hoang Quoc Bai, village 5, is one of the first households to raise catfish in Hoa Phu commune. He said that his family uses 0.5 hectares of lake surface next to Serepok river to raise red-tailed catfish. To have a source of fish, the family buys young red-tailed catfish that fishermen catch on the river at a price of 300,000 VND/kg to raise.

After purchasing the red-tailed eel fry, they are released into ponds and lakes, fed with concentrated fish meal, and provided with nutrition to help the fish grow. When the fish grow to about 3 to 4 ounces, they are fed traditional foods such as baby fish, shrimp, etc. After more than 1 year of raising, the family's first batch of fry for sale weighed 3 to 7 kg/fish. After deducting expenses, the family earned 270 million VND.

With the initial success of the model of introducing red-tailed catfish into the provincial water environment for farming by Mr. Hoang Quoc Bai's family, more and more households in Hoa Phu commune have experimented with introducing red-tailed catfish into ponds and lakes. In 2009, the people of Hoa Phu commune established the Red-tailed Catfish Farming Club with 16 members raising catfish on an area of ​​nearly 10 hectares.

According to local households, in order for red-tailed catfish to grow well in the province's water environment, people in Hoa Phu commune dug canals to lead water from the Serepok River into the ponds, creating a natural water environment and taking advantage of the food source for the fish.

Feed the redtail bass fry with concentrated fish feed. When the fish grow to about 3 to 4 ounces, feed them traditional foods such as baby fish, shrimp, etc.

However, according to the Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoa Phu commune, Mr. Tu Van Hoi, currently, households raising red-tailed catfish in Hoa Phu commune mostly rely on experience, and the output for products is mainly at restaurants and eateries in Dak Lak province.

Catfish brought from the natural environment of the Serepok River into ponds grow well, but cannot reproduce or breed, so people cannot develop more fish sources. If people develop large fish stocks without competing with the market, catfish farming will not be able to be maintained and expanded.

To proactively develop the catfish farming in ponds, the agricultural sector of Buon Ma Thuot city has supported people with capital and breeds to expand livestock farming. In 2017, the People's Committee of Buon Ma Thuot city coordinated with MasterBrand Limited Liability Company to establish the Project to build a certification mark "Hoa Phu Red-tailed Catfish - Buon Ma Thuot, Dak Lak province". At the same time, the unit coordinated with the Department of Science and Technology to build a dossier to register the trademark of Hoa Phu Red-tailed Catfish - Buon Ma Thuot.

According to Ms. Ho Thi Cam Lai, Deputy Head of the Economic Department, People's Committee of Buon Ma Thuot City, building the brand of Hoa Phu - Buon Ma Thuot red-tailed catfish is a necessary task, to affirm the value of Hoa Phu red-tailed catfish, encourage people to apply scientific and technical advances in raising and breeding this special fish species. At the same time, building a brand for red-tailed catfish also contributes to promoting the brand, finding output for the product, helping the locality to change the structure of crop varieties and livestock, creating jobs for workers, contributing to preserving the precious gene source of red-tailed catfish.

VNA