Muong boy in Hoa Binh raises specialty fish on the hydroelectric reservoir, customers who eat it once will remember it forever

Mr. Dinh Van Thi, Trang hamlet, Binh Thanh commune, Cao Phong district ( Hoa Binh ) has 18 cages raising many kinds of specialty fish on Hoa Binh hydroelectric reservoir, including 8 cages raising Nha catfish - a fish that is easy to raise, has few diseases, is nutritious and has higher economic value than black catfish.

Mr. Dinh Van Thi, 34 years old, Muong ethnic, 6 years ago took advantage of the vast water surface of Hoa Binh hydroelectric reservoir, he started raising the first fish cages. Like many other households, he raised common fish species such as: grass carp, common carp, tilapia, black catfish.

Hoa Binh Lake is known as the largest artificial freshwater lake in Vietnam. Under the cool, clear blue water, thousands of households living along the lake have had a stable income and become rich thanks to cage fish farming, and Mr. Thi is no exception.

"I don't dare dream of getting rich from raising fish in cages, but thanks to raising fish in cages, my family has stable jobs and a good income, and doesn't have to work for hire in the city," said Mr. Thi.

Mr. Dinh Van Thi, Trang hamlet, Binh Thanh commune, Cao Phong district (Hoa Binh) has 18 cages raising many kinds of specialty fish on Hoa Binh hydroelectric reservoir, including 8 cages raising catfish. Photo: Binh Minh

To have money to build cages and buy fish, in addition to the money he saved, Mr. Thi borrowed from relatives. Initially with only 4 cages, after 6 years, the Muong man owned 18 fish cages, of which 8 cages were used to raise catfish since 2023.

Mr. Thi said that the clean water source on the Hoa Binh hydroelectric reservoir is very suitable for raising fish in cages, especially catfish. Catfish is not only easy to raise, disease-free, but also brings higher economic efficiency than raising grass carp, tilapia, or black catfish.

Catfish, also known as red-tailed catfish, has a shape similar to catfish with a body that tapers towards the tail. The mouth is wide, the teeth are of the cane-tooth type, the head is conical, the top of the head is rough, slightly flattened. The eyes are located near the top of the head. The gill membrane separates from the gill isthmus and is mostly separate from each other. The dorsal and pectoral fins have hard, serrated spines on the back. The body is gray, the back is darker than the belly. The pelvic fins are light yellow, the other fins are light red.

According to Mr. Thi, to raise catfish effectively, semi-intensive farming can be applied in ponds or rafts. However, fish grow faster in rafts.

Catfish weighing 2.5-3kg can be sold, the price of catfish ranges from 120,000 - 140,000 VND per kg, while black catfish is only from 80,000 - 100,000 VND per kg. Photo: Binh Minh

Because it is an omnivorous fish, every day, Mr. Thi has to buy mixed fish, caught by local people in the lake, to feed the catfish. In addition, you can add homemade food mixed with bran and fresh mixed fish to ensure nutrition, energy and essential substances. All homemade food is compressed and shaped into pellets for easy eating by fish.

"Every day I feed the fish three times, periodically in the morning, afternoon and late afternoon, only feeding them during cool times and when the weather is not harsh or rainy during the day," Mr. Thi shared.

He said that in the first year of raising, the catfish tend to grow slower and start to grow strongly the following year. When the fish is 1 year old, it will weigh 0.7 - 1kg, and when 2 years old, it will reach 1.5 - 3kg.

Mr. Thi said that because the price of the fish fry is high and they grow slower than other fish species, the catfish is "picky" about who raises them. But he said that in return, the economic value is much higher, and when sold, "you will earn more money."

The Nha catfish is famous for its white, firm, and chewy meat, without many small bones and a fragrant, rich taste. In particular, the commercial value of this fish is quite high, from 120,000 - 140,000 VND/kg, while the black catfish is only from 80,000 - 100,000 VND/kg.

Catfish, also known as red-tailed catfish, has a shape similar to catfish with a body that tapers towards the tail. Photo: Binh Minh

With his experience in raising catfish, Mr. Thi shared that to raise catfish in cages, the cage must be at least 5 square meters. The water level in the cage must be about 2 meters deep - because catfish live in the middle layer, the water level must be above average.

Place cages in places with not too strong water flow, avoid places with a lot of traffic because catfish like quiet waters.

Revealing the process of selecting the catfish breed, Mr. Thi said that it is necessary to choose catfish that are not discolored or have blunt tails or whiskers. The fish have not lost their natural slime layer, are uniform in size, about 5-7cm, and one kilogram has about 30 fish, and the fish swim healthily.

Thanks to his methodical cage farming, especially his mastery of the technique of raising catfish, Mr. Thi sells about 5 tons of fish each year, mainly supplying restaurants and tourists . "Because the quality of catfish is fragrant, delicious, and nutritious, tourists who come here to eat it once will remember it forever. There are many times when there are no fish to sell because the quantity is limited," he said, adding that, after deducting expenses, he earns over 200 million VND each year from cage farming.

Thanks to the fish farming profession in cages on the Hoa Binh hydroelectric reservoir, each year Mr. Thi "pockets" over 200 million VND. Photo: Binh Minh

According to the Department of Fisheries of Hoa Binh, currently, the whole province has nearly 2,700 hectares of water surface for aquaculture, with 4,987 fish cages, producing 9,750 tons. Over the past 2 years, cage fish farming has developed quite stably with favorable output.

In particular, after the first Da River Fish and Shrimp Festival in Hoa Binh province was held, the connection and consumption of Da River fish products became more and more favorable. With the certification of the trademarks "Da River Fish - Hoa Binh" and "Da River Shrimp - Hoa Binh" by the Department of Intellectual Property, it has created conditions for developing production, expanding consumption markets, increasing product value, and aiming at export markets. In addition, households on the Hoa Binh hydroelectric reservoir have invested in building advanced cage farming systems, intensively and semi-intensively raising some specialty fish species, including the catfish.

Source: https://danviet.vn/chang-trai-muong-o-hoa-binh-nuoi-ca-dac-san-tren-long-ho-thuy-dien-khach-an-mot-lan-la-nho-mai-20250314154901081.htm