Maintaining shrimp ponds during the hot season.

With the prolonged heatwave, shrimp farmers in the province are facing numerous challenges. Not only are they dealing with fluctuating pond environments, but they are also struggling to manage costs to maintain their ponds and keep their hopes alive for the main shrimp crop of the year.

Early in the morning, Mr. Nguyen Van Khanh, residing in Can Gao hamlet, An Minh commune, rushed to the nearby aquaculture supply store to find a way to save his shrimp pond. The recent scorching heat has caused his two-month-old tiger shrimp to show signs of weakness and scattered deaths. “Seeing the shrimp dying one by one makes me anxious. The heat is too intense, the water is too hot, and the shrimp are easily shocked by the environment,” Mr. Khanh said, his eyes red from many sleepless nights monitoring the water supply to the pond. His family's shrimp pond, over 1 hectare, has cost approximately 30 million VND from renovation to stocking two batches. All their capital has been invested in this crop. “If this batch fails, the losses will be heavy,” Mr. Khanh sighed.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Anh ferments probiotics to treat water in his shrimp pond. Photo: AN LAM

Based on his years of experience in shrimp farming, he bought zeolite combined with yucca to treat the pond bottom, adding water quality improvers, hoping the shrimp would overcome this harsh period. Mr. Khanh is not alone; many farmers in the area are also "racing against time" to save their ponds. However, with continuously rising costs of materials and fuel, and unpredictable weather patterns, the burden on shrimp farmers is growing heavier.

Standing on the edge of his 2-hectare shrimp pond, Mr. Danh Tuoi, residing in Xeo Duoc 3 hamlet, An Bien commune, couldn't hide his anxiety as he looked at the calm water and the sun shining directly down to the bottom. This season, he stocked his pond with tiger shrimp that are over a month old – a stage that requires a stable environment. "With this kind of sunny weather, the water heats up very quickly, and if we can't maintain it, the shrimp will weaken immediately. The cost of pumping water, probiotics, and minerals has increased significantly. But if we don't do anything, we risk losing everything," Mr. Tuoi shared.

To cope with the situation, Mr. Tuoi proactively pumped in more water, maintaining the water level on the surface of the pond at about 6-8 decimeters. At the same time, he used DAP fertilizer to color the water, creating a natural "covering" layer to limit direct sunlight from reaching the bottom. He also periodically treated the bottom with microbial preparations to stabilize the substrate and limit the generation of toxic gases such as NH3 and H2S.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Anh, a first-time shrimp farmer in Xeo Duoc 2 hamlet, An Bien commune, on an area of ​​0.7 hectares, said that the cost of renovation, purchasing seeds and supplies has reached nearly 25 million VND, but he has not earned a single penny yet. "It's my first time farming, and the weather is like this, so I'm very worried. I'm working while constantly concerned; one wrong move and I'll lose everything," Mr. Tuoi said.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, in 2026, the ENSO phenomenon tends to shift to a neutral state, then potentially to El Nino from mid-year and gradually increase in intensity. This development increases the risk of extreme weather events such as intense heatwaves, droughts, saltwater intrusion, strong storms, or localized heavy rainfall – factors that directly impact shrimp farming production, especially in extensive farming areas without the necessary pond cooling systems.

This is the main shrimp farming season of the year, but the situation is not very promising. Many households have suffered almost complete losses. Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, residing in Cai Nuoc hamlet, An Bien commune, said that his family's 1-hectare shrimp pond was completely destroyed due to environmental changes. With approximately 10,000 tiger shrimp and 70,000 giant freshwater prawn juveniles, the total cost was nearly 20 million VND, resulting in significant losses. "It's a total loss, but we can't give up; we have to start over to recover," Mr. Dung said. Currently, he is renovating the pond, treating the bottom, pumping water, disinfecting, and inoculating with probiotics to prepare for the new season.

According to Nguyen Dinh Xuyen, head of the Provincial Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine, the current weather is erratic, with unseasonal rains interspersed with intense heat throughout the day, causing pond temperatures to rise sharply from the beginning of the season. This significantly affects shrimp's resistance and creates conditions for dangerous diseases such as White Spot Syndrome (WSD), Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND/EMS), and E. coli (EHP). "If we don't proactively control the environment and diseases, the risk of losses in the farming season is very high," Mr. Xuyen emphasized.

According to Mr. Xuyen, by 2026 the province aims to develop 138,200 hectares of brackish water shrimp farming, with a production of 155,514 tons, concentrated in the Long Xuyen Quadrangle and U Minh Thuong areas. Therefore, strengthening environmental monitoring and warning systems, disease surveillance, and quality control of shrimp fry are urgent requirements. Disease prevention for shrimp must be implemented early, with farmers playing a key role. “Shrimp farmers need to adhere to technical procedures, use quarantined shrimp fry, avoid using banned chemicals and antibiotics; maintain appropriate pond water levels (1.3 - 1.5m for intensive and semi-intensive farming; a minimum of 0.5m for shrimp-rice farming), pH 7.5 - 8.5, alkalinity 90 - 150 mg/l, nitrite <0.05 mg/l. At the same time, they should regularly supplement nutrients, monitor shrimp health, and promptly report any signs of disease to contribute to effective disease control,” Mr. Xuyen advised.

AN LAM

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/giu-vuong-tom-mua-nang-nong-a482513.html