Protecting aquatic life during the rainy season.

Aquaculture farmers need to proactively implement effective measures to protect their farmed aquatic products during the rainy season.

The unpredictable weather during the rainy season causes environmental changes, creating opportunities for pathogens to spread and invade, hindering the growth and development of aquatic species. Therefore, the agricultural sector, in coordination with local authorities and people, has implemented numerous measures to prevent, control, and mitigate risks, ensuring the safety of aquaculture areas.

According to the agricultural sector, weather during storms often brings sudden changes in temperature, humidity, and rainfall, creating favorable conditions for disease development. Meanwhile, during the rainy season, fish have weaker resistance, giving pathogens more opportunities to invade and cause disease. Many fish farmers say that, given the sudden changes in the environment, especially during the rainy season, the most important thing is to know how to adjust the water environment in the ponds, implementing good technical measures and maintaining a reasonable stocking density.

Nguyen Quang Hoanh (An Binh commune, Long Ho district), who has 20 fish cages, said: “Usually during the rainy season, fish have weaker resistance, are more susceptible to parasitic and fungal diseases, and the mortality rate is also higher. Accordingly, tilapia usually suffer a 20-30% loss due to murky water, mud, and silt clinging to the gills, making the fish more prone to disease. This year, the water flow is stronger than in previous years, and this is also the peak of the rainy season, so I have proactively reinforced the mooring stakes, bought more ropes to tie them together to create fish cages, and surrounded the cages with nets to prevent the fish from jumping out when the water rises.”

With nearly 10 years of experience in fish farming, Mr. Tran Trung Tan (Binh Hoa Phuoc commune, Long Ho district) said: “During the rainy season, environmental factors in the fish pond can change suddenly, shocking the farmed fish and easily causing disease outbreaks. Therefore, I regularly monitor the water environment, check the fish's activity, observe and adjust the amount of feed accordingly, and supplement vitamins and minerals to strengthen the fish's resistance. Besides that, I also proactively prepare necessary supplies such as nets, water pumps, and generators to promptly handle any problems that may occur during the rainy season.”

Mr. Ta Van Thao, Deputy Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Medicine and Aquaculture, said: To protect aquaculture during the rainy and stormy season, the department has guided people on measures to protect aquaculture areas. This includes strengthening propaganda and disseminating knowledge on disaster prevention and control through mass media and organizing effective training on disaster prevention and control. For localities with cage fish farming areas on rivers, farmers are instructed to inspect and reinforce the mooring ropes and buoys, and proactively move the cages to safe locations with favorable environmental conditions when there is heavy rain and strong winds.

Recently, the Department of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Medicine, and Aquaculture has advised aquaculture facilities to select large, healthy fry for stocking to minimize losses. At the same time, they emphasized the importance of properly anchoring cages and regularly inspecting mooring ropes and other equipment to proactively prevent and mitigate damage from natural disasters. Accordingly, from the beginning of the rainy and stormy season, localities with aquaculture areas in the province have actively implemented measures to protect farmed species in order to minimize damage caused by adverse weather conditions.

According to recommendations from relevant authorities, during the rainy season, fish farmers should inspect and reinforce the dikes around their ponds to ensure they can retain water. They should also clear away branches and trees around the banks to prevent them from falling into the pond and polluting it, and to prevent trees from falling and breaking the dikes in strong winds, leading to fish loss. Install overflow pipes to drain water when the pond water level is too high, or proactively drain the pond to prevent overflowing water that could carry all the fish out.

Prepare tools for reinforcing and repairing dikes and sluices in case of emergencies. When floods occur, check the water quality in the fish ponds to take appropriate corrective measures such as: applying lime to stabilize the environment, adjusting water color, or changing the water when necessary. After each water change, the farmer must treat the water. Simultaneously, supplement minerals and vitamins to strengthen the fish's immune system.

For households raising fish in cages and rafts on rivers, it is necessary to inspect and reinforce the cages, mooring systems, and cage floats, and to clean and ventilate the cages to ensure quick water circulation. In areas with strong currents, use screens or tarpaulins to cover the front of the cages to reduce the direct flow of water onto the farmed fish.

In addition, it is necessary to use disinfectants hung in cages and rafts to disinfect the water environment and kill disease-causing agents for farmed fish; limit feeding during storms to reduce environmental pollution and avoid waste. At the same time, farmers need to closely monitor weather developments regarding flood levels on rivers and storm conditions through mass media to proactively prevent and control, thereby effectively protecting farmed aquatic resources.

According to the Department of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (under the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development), the province currently has 1,646 cages and rafts (an increase of 25 compared to the same period last year) with 207 farming establishments. Of these, 1,249 are currently being used for farming, an increase of 53, while 397 have not yet been restocked. The estimated production for the first six months reached nearly 8,300 tons, achieving 46% of the annual plan, a decrease of 1.9%, or 161 tons, compared to the same period last year. Cage and raft fish farming is concentrated in Long Ho district and Vinh Long city. Currently, many cage and raft farming establishments are switching to farming other economically valuable species (catfish, grass carp, snakehead fish, striped catfish, giant gourami, etc.) to increase production value and minimize production risks.

Text and photos: NGUYEN KHANG

Source: https://baovinhlong.vn/kinh-te/202408/bao-ve-thuy-san-mua-mua-3186053/