Hearing Tuan's footsteps on the wooden floor, a school of catfish gathered and wagged their tails in the river, waiting for a meal.

He scooped up a large bowl of food and threw it down. A swarm of black fish rushed up, opening their mouths wide to grab it, splashing water everywhere.

Mr. Tuan sat down on the floor, holding a handful of food close to the water surface. A few fish came up to take the food from his hand. The Can Tho man touched the heads and backs of the shiny catfish, like they were his pets.

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River fish are cared for. Photo: HT

Mr. Tuan said that many years ago, his family built a raft and raised some fish in the river in front of their house to relax and enjoy the cool breeze. Smelling the food, the river fish came to eat the grains that drifted out from the raft.

"Seeing the bold and clingy river fish, I came up with the idea of ​​luring the fish to watch, so I fed them every day. Since 2023, more fish have come. Up to now, the school of fish is estimated to be in the thousands. From then on, I decided to take care of them. Looking at the school of fish surrounding me, I also feel happy" - Mr. Tuan shared.

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Mr. Tuan sits watching the fish in the river. Photo: HT

To protect the fish, Mr. Tuan renovated and expanded the water surface area to hundreds of square meters. In addition, he also bought nets, pulled water hyacinth to create a natural shield around the raft, and installed surveillance cameras to prevent others from electrocuting the fish.

He raised the fish with industrial feed combined with leftover rice and vegetables. From a few dozen catfish asking to "stay", now the river wharf in front of his house has thousands of fish, estimated at about 3-4 tons.

This school of fish includes many types such as catfish, silver carp, and silver carp. The most common are catfish, weighing 2-3 kg/fish.

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The habitat of river fish is protected by a net. Photo: HT

Every month, the cost of buying food for this wild fish school is up to millions, but this man is still happy to take care of and preserve it.

"I have never caught a fish to eat, nor have I ever left a school of fish hungry for a day," he said, hoping that many people will share his passion and join hands to protect wild fish.

I will raise as many fish as I can. Nowadays, many people are fishing in an indiscriminate manner, making wild fish species less and less. I hope my work will spread.

There are many models of river fish care that will contribute to protecting aquatic resources" - Mr. Tuan expressed.

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Pangasius fish are fed. Photo: HT

Mr. Mai Van Nghiep (Tuan's father-in-law) is very supportive of his son-in-law "taking care" of the fish. He also helps his son-in-law take care of and keep watch, not allowing strangers to catch the river fish.

"When my son-in-law goes to work, my wife and I help feed the fish. We both keep an eye on them, not letting anyone fish or steal them so that the fish have a safe place to live, and their numbers will increase day by day," said Mr. Nghiep.

Western man spends hundreds of millions to raise 'wild' fish in the river

Western man spends hundreds of millions to raise 'wild' fish in the river

Thousands of wild fish living at the riverbank are fed and cared for like pets by a man in the West.

Beautiful and rare fire loach in the West, sold for more than 1 million VND/kg

Beautiful and rare fire loach in the West, sold for more than 1 million VND/kg

Fire loach - a species of fish that is very rare in nature, selling for 1.5-2 million VND/kg - has just been successfully artificially produced by lecturers at Can Tho University.
Why did the most famous night market vendor in Can Tho stop trading?

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