Dr. Nguyen Thai Tu and his scientific work won the Ho Chi Minh Prize

(Baonghean) - 50 years of scientific research, with 72 published works and 10 books, hundreds of speeches at domestic and international conferences and seminars, from his graduation thesis when he was still a student to his scientific work that won the Ho Chi Minh Prize..., all of which are studies on freshwater fish. Throughout his scientific career, Dr. Nguyen Thai Tu has been involved in the search for fish species...

Always strive for a cause...

Dr. Nguyen Thai Tu was born in 1937 in a family of 7 siblings in Yen Son commune (Do Luong). In 1950, he entered Vinh National School (now Huynh Thuc Khang High School), which was then located in Bach Ngoc commune, Do Luong district. Because of his family background, his studies were interrupted for 3 years. After 3 years of farming at home, he was able to continue his studies at high school in Vinh. "The years of high school in Vinh were very difficult and miserable. My younger brother and I had to work as daily laborers to earn money for our accommodation and study. But it was the hardship that forged our will and determination to rise up..." - he confided.

Mr. Nguyen Thai Tu and students conduct scientific research

In 1959, he passed the entrance exam to the University of General Sciences, Faculty of Physics. After finishing his third year of university, at the request of the Ministry of Education and Training, he and a number of other colleagues were assigned to teach at the Biology Department of Vinh Pedagogical University (now Vinh University). For 40 years standing on the podium, he always remembered the teachings of Professor, Minister Ta Quang Buu: "Combining teaching, learning, scientific research and practice". His lectures did not stop at mere theoretical knowledge but were always associated with scientific works and research. He divided students into many small groups, took them on field trips, surveys; explored with him in laboratories... Many generations of students have grown up thanks to his teaching method, many students during their studies have become effective collaborators in his scientific research projects, many later became famous scientists, influential lecturers...

A lifetime of searching for fish...

In his cramped living room, there are no decorative objects such as flower vases, flower pots, embroidered paintings, but instead there are bookshelves, research magazines, jars, bottles, test tubes containing specimens of individual fish. It is like a miniature "museum" of freshwater fish species: carp in Lam River, leaf-shaped fish in Vu Quang (Ha Tinh), ton fish (Phong Nha, Ke Bang), eel, bu fish... After many years of research on freshwater fish, Dr. Nguyen Thai Tu has collected 150 individual fish (out of a total of 500 species in Vietnam) in Phong Nha - Ke Bang area and 157 species of fish in Lam River basin.

His name is associated with works on fish: "Freshwater fish of Lam River", "Conservation of the uniqueness and value of fish biodiversity in the limestone mountains of Phong Nha - Ke Bang (PN-KB)", "Fish resources and protection of fish species in Vu Quang (Ha Tinh)", "Ben En fish fauna"; "A family of fish, an important faunal area for Vietnam's fisheries"... Those works are the result of many trips with packed rice, rice balls, crossing streams and forests, wading through streams and rivers, rolling around in rural markets of the Central region to find... fish. For years, he hitched a ride on boats of fishing cooperatives in the province, roamed with fishermen on fishing boats, cast nets, waded through streams with people to catch fish...

That was a whole month of eating rice balls with fishermen, sleeping in the limestone mountains of Phong Nha, Ke Bang, and going on trips with fishermen.MaleDan, Thanh Chuong to study a type of fish called "stork dung". The most memorable was the hunt for eels at Sai Pho Hydroelectric Dam (Huong Son, Ha Tinh). He said: "In 1937, French scientist Chevey found eels in the suburbs of Hanoi. After that, many scientists tried to search but failed. I myself also searched but was disappointed. In 1976, hearing that some fishermen in Ha Tinh caught eels, I was happier than finding gold, I took a bus to the place but the fish had been butchered and cooked for food. During the dry season the following year, I and my students again went to Sai Pho Hydroelectric Dam to look for eels. At that time, thanks to the help of the provincial leaders, the Hydroelectric Dam was closed, the stream was blocked, the water in the stream was drained, the water changed course, the eels in the stream swam out and we caught the fish we had longed for. Currently, this individual eel is being kept at Vinh University...

The tiny nameless fish, the species that fishermen call "gray fish, eel fish" through his research efforts have been given international scientific names, becoming an international reference for fish exchanges...

"The idea of ​​researching fish, seeing what benefits it has, which fish species are rare, which species are in danger of extinction, the origin, source, characteristics of each species, how it affects biodiversity, the local fisheries... has been lingering in my mind for a long time. But it was not until 1964 that I participated in the animal and parasite investigation team led by the late Professor Dang Van Ngu and Dao Van Tien that urged me to start researching. After the work "Lam River Fish", there were a series of articles and scientific research works on freshwater fish," he shared.

And the pinnacle of thescientific work

The Ho Chi Minh Prize is the most prestigious award in the field of science and technology, held every five years to honor scientists and authors of outstanding scientific and technological works of practical value. The 2012 Ho Chi Minh Prize has 12 works and clusters of works in five fields: social sciences and humanities, natural sciences, technical sciences, agricultural sciences, and medical sciences awarded. Dr. Nguyen Thai Tu is honored to be the only representative of Nghe An province to receive the award this time.

The group of works honored this time is called "Vietnamese Zoology".Maleand Vietnamese floraMale, Vietnam Red Book and Red ListMale". This is a major work related to many scientific topics contributed by 45 authors and 77 collaborators. Dr. Nguyen Thai Tu alone has contributed in-depth research on freshwater fish. This is a work of national and international significance and is the result of investigation, survey and research activities on freshwater fish over a long period from the beginning of the century until now.

The work is valuable in many fields: it is a standard document, relatively complete for use in research projects on agriculture, exploitation of aquatic resources, and fishing of economic value. The accurate data on taxonomy, distribution, and ecological biology of species are the necessary basis for use in research on measures to use economically valuable objects. For example, through his research, he discovered and proved that Phong Nha Ke Bang is the 4th cradle in the world that produces carp and crucian carp, contributing to affirming Phong Nha, Ke Bang as a heritage of humanity. Or the discovery of rare fish such as ton fish, eel... with high export value; the discovery of Lam river fish, and giang leaf fish at the foot of Vu Mon waterfall (Vu Quang, Ha Tinh) are new species that only exist in this area...

In addition, his research also discovered species listed in the Vietnam Red Book, which is the scientific basis for proposing and implementing measures to protect fish species that have been assessed as endangered in nature, contributing to nature conservation and biodiversity in national parks.

75 years old, nearly 50 years dedicated to scientific research on freshwater fish, but Dr. Nguyen Thai Tu still has many plans, cherishing many other topics about fish, and that means, the search, passion for fish has not stopped...

Thanh Phuc - Thao Nhi