Prospects from sea bass farming model

(Baonghean)After the success of the commercial sea bass farming model of Mr. Ha Quang Minh (Trung Hau hamlet, Dien Van commune, Dien Chau), 16 other households in the commune have boldly borrowed capital, invested in renovating ponds, and bought fish fry to release. Currently, the fish are growing well and promising success.

In 2011, with the support of the Department of Science and Technology, the People's Committee of Dien Chau district implemented a commercial sea bass farming model at Mr. Ha Quang Minh's household (Trung Hau hamlet, Dien Van commune) with a scale of 2,000 m2. After 6 months of implementation, the results achieved have brought about clear economic and environmental value. Mr. Minh said: His family was supported with 12 million VND. He hired machines to dig land, build banks, and buy 2,000 fish to release. The result was that after harvesting, the output reached 1.8 tons of fish. On average, each fish weighed about 1 kg. After deducting all expenses, the profit was nearly 30 million VND.



Commercial sea bass farming model in Dien Van commune.

From the success of Mr. Minh's sea bass farming model, Dien Van commune boldly submitted a proposal to the District People's Committee to expand the model on the commune's 21-hectare field. This is a field that has long been used by people to make salt and then raise black tiger shrimp, but with low efficiency. Accordingly, the District People's Committee has decided to invest in expanding this model on a scale of 2.84 hectares in the aquaculture area of ​​Van Thanh Cooperative. The district has a policy of supporting 50% of the cost of fish fry, with an amount of 100 million VND. In addition, the Department of Agriculture also sent staff to the lagoon to train on farming techniques and guide people on fish care methods.

Mr. Le Thai Quy in Trung Hau hamlet, Dien Van commune, said: From Mr. Minh's success, 16 households have boldly borrowed money from the bank to renovate ponds, build banks, buy fish to release according to the instructions of agricultural officials. Up to now, the fish have been released for more than 3 months and are growing very well. On average, each household has a pond area of ​​1,500 - 3,000 m2.

Bass are omnivorous fish, their main food source is fresh food. Every day, the amount of food consumed by fish is almost twice their body weight. In addition, fish have the characteristic that if they are left hungry, the big fish in the pond will eat the small fish. Therefore, the food source for fish must always be provided sufficiently and on time. “Every time, we knock on the fish and the fish jump up to eat. If we do not feed them on time, no matter how much we knock, the fish will not come up. However, because fish eat fresh food, it is very expensive. On average, we have to buy 100-150 thousand VND per day for fish food. I know it is expensive, but now that we are raising them, we have to follow it,” Mr. Quy shared.

Ms. Phan Thi Thuan, an officer of the Department of Agriculture of Dien Chau district, said that raising sea bass only requires feeding the fish adequately and on time, not feeding too much, leading to excess food that pollutes the water source. In addition, it is necessary to monitor the water color to know the living environment of the fish. The most suitable water color is the green color of young banana buds. Ms. Thuan also emphasized that before and after heavy rains, farmers must mix lime and spread it around the pond banks to neutralize acid and kill bacteria in the water. As for pond renovation, the treatment and sterilization before raising is no different from when raising shrimp.

This is a high-value fish, each kilogram of fish on the market costs from 130,000 to 150,000 VND. However, this is also a concern for local people. Because the fish is of high value, consumption is difficult, especially in rural markets, where consumption is low. "However, we still have great confidence in this year's fish crop. If this fish crop is successful, we will certainly continue to expand the area and the number of fish farmers will also increase next year," said Mr. Luu Huu Phuoc, Deputy Director of Van Thanh Cooperative.

The biggest concern of households at this time is the difficulty in capital sources. Because this is a model that requires a large investment, many households really want to participate but due to lack of funds, they have to give up. As for participating households, the amount of money to buy daily food to provide enough for the fish is relatively large. Most of the households here borrow money from banks with high interest rates to raise fish. They really hope to borrow money with low interest rates so that they can invest with peace of mind.

Pham Bang