Why don't farmers in Nghe An province raise tiger prawns?
(Baonghean.vn) - Although tiger prawns are popular for their delicious meat and high export demand, the area dedicated to tiger prawn farming in Nghe An province has been gradually decreasing for nearly a decade, and currently only a few households are still engaged in this activity.
Visit the key shrimp farming areas ofNghe AnIn Hoang Mai town, Quynh Luu district, Dien Chau district, etc., locals say that most people are raising whiteleg shrimp, and no one is raising tiger shrimp anymore.
Mr. Nguyen Cuong, the owner of a shrimp farm in Dien Trung commune (Dien Chau district), said that he used to raise shrimp 15 years ago.tiger prawnsThis lasts for many years. This type of shrimp is not suitable for cold weather, not suitable for ponds covered with tarpaulin, but only suitable for earthen ponds, and this type of shrimp only lives at the bottom of the water layer, therefore tiger shrimp are easily susceptible to disease.
Furthermore, the stocking density of tiger shrimp is low, only around 20 shrimp per square meter.2However, the rearing period lasts 5-7 months, resulting in low productivity. Furthermore, raising tiger shrimp requires them to reach a weight of 30-40 shrimp per kilogram to ensure quality when sold.
"Penaeus monodon shrimp are raised extensively in earthen ponds, so when the farming period is extended, the shrimp are easily infected with diseases. Therefore, it is natural for shrimp farmers to switch to farming whiteleg shrimp. Because whiteleg shrimp are raised in ponds lined with tarpaulin, with high stocking densities, the yield is high, and it is possible to raise 2-3 batches per year," Mr. Nguyen Cuong said.
Quynh Luu district has 450 hectares of ponds and lagoons for shrimp farming. According to local people, for many years now, people have completely abandoned tiger shrimp farming and switched to shrimp farming.whiteleg shrimpAccording to Mr. Bui Xuan Truc, Deputy Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Quynh Luu district: Of the 450 hectares of shrimp ponds currently in Quynh Luu, almost 100% are used for farming whiteleg shrimp.
“Before 2010, there were still some households raising tiger shrimp, but then they switched to raising whiteleg shrimp. This is because whiteleg shrimp are raised intensively, yielding high productivity and a short rearing time, while tiger shrimp are raised extensively, requiring a longer rearing time and yielding low productivity. Although the market prefers them because of their delicious meat, people still don't raise them,” Mr. Bui Xuan Truc shared.
According to Mr. Le Van Huong, Deputy Head of the Fisheries Sub-Department, Nghe An province cultivates over 2,200 hectares of brackish water shrimp in coastal districts such as Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, Nghi Loc, and Hoang Mai town and Vinh City. Although tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) is characterized by its firm flesh, fragrant, delicious, sweet, and chewy taste, and high nutritional content, especially protein and other minerals, farmers switched to raising whiteleg shrimp when whiteleg shrimp became widely available. Currently, almost all ponds in the province have been converted to whiteleg shrimp farming, accounting for approximately 98% of the total pond area. Only a few households in Hung Hoa commune (Vinh City) still raise tiger shrimp.
The reason is that the rearing time for whiteleg shrimp is shorter than that of tiger shrimp. Tiger shrimp can be raised for 5-7 months, but whiteleg shrimp only need 3-4 months, allowing for 2-3 harvests per year. The yield of whiteleg shrimp is also much higher than that of tiger shrimp because tiger shrimp are stocked at a density of 15-20 shrimp/m².2, while whiteleg shrimp stocking density is over 100 shrimp/m².2In some high-tech breeding facilities, up to 200 animals per square meter can be released.2Especially now, many pond owners are investing in high-tech farming methods, allowing them to raise fish year-round, with potentially 4-5 harvests per year.
However, Mr. Huong is concerned that high stocking densities and high yields lead to increased feed consumption, resulting in a large amount of shrimp waste released into the environment. This poses a high risk of water pollution. For this reason, shrimp farming areas have been heavily polluted for many years, making shrimp more susceptible to disease.
