Exploiting the potential of cold water fish farming

Many households in La Bang commune (Dai Tu) invest in raising sturgeon and building restaurants to serve tourists who come to visit and enjoy the cuisine .

Cold-water fish have a habit of adapting to cooler water temperatures than tropical fish, usually below 20°C. In Thai Nguyen , from 2010 to now, some households in La Bang commune (Dai Tu), Phu Thuong commune (Vo Nhai) ... have boldly invested in raising sturgeon - a type of cold-water fish - for quite high income.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thep, former Party Secretary of La Bang Commune (Dai Tu), shared: Sturgeon has high nutritional value, is easy to process into many dishes, so it is favored by many people, bringing in a fairly high income (hundreds of millions of VND per year). However, the investment cost for raising sturgeon is not small (can be up to more than 1 billion VND/facility) and needs to ensure technical aspects, especially having a clean water source from the source. Therefore, it requires fish farmers not only to boldly invest in building infrastructure, breeding tanks... but also to actively research, learn and master farming techniques.

Thanks to his dedication to learning, not only Mr. Thep but also many households in the province have successfully developed sturgeon farming models. It is worth mentioning that production facilities in the province have become self-sufficient in producing breeds, helping to reduce product costs and limit dependence on imported sources. The problem of fish feed has also been solved when domestic enterprises produce their own, meeting up to 95% of market demand, at reasonable prices (from 30 to 40 thousand VND/kg, nearly half of what it was 10 years ago).

Mr. Le Dac Vinh, Head of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Veterinary and Fisheries of the province, said: From the initial models, up to now, Thai Nguyen has developed over 2,000m2 of cold-water fish farming surface. Accordingly, cold-water fish farming models open up many opportunities when not only solving jobs, bringing significant income to people in mountainous and highland areas but also contributing to the development of infrastructure such as transportation, tourist attractions, restaurants. From there, the potential for tourism development in communes with advantages in mountainous terrain and wild beauty in Dai Tu, Vo Nhai, Dinh Hoa, etc. is aroused.

Siberian sturgeon are raised at Thai Nguyen Technology Investment and Development Company Limited (in Phu Thuong commune, Vo Nhai district). Photo: TL

In reality, it can be seen that chain development has helped manage inputs (seeds), water sources for fish farming, techniques, and consumption because many restaurants raise and process fish on-site to serve tourists' needs; supplying tourist areas inside and outside the province such as Nui Coc Lake, Phuong Hoang Cave, or in Hanoi...

However, in Thai Nguyen, sturgeon farming is still facing many difficulties, such as: The exploitation and use of cold water resources are not effective, and there is still a situation of wasteful use of water resources. In addition, natural disasters, flash floods, climate change, drought, and rising temperatures are also potential major challenges. Moreover, the quality of sturgeon seeds is difficult to control; production models are still small, fragmented, based on experience, and unstable...

To encourage people to develop cold-water fish farming, in the coming time, the provincial authorities need to develop a suitable farming area plan, prioritizing the development of infrastructure and human resources to serve the application of technical advances in sturgeon production. At the same time, regularly organize inspections, checks and management of the production of breeds, feed, trading of aquatic veterinary drugs and management of the hygiene quality of aquatic breeds, farmed aquatic products and tanks. Provide guidance and support for production, have land mechanisms for cold-water fish farming, encourage the development of sturgeon farming with appropriate incentives. Breeding households need to comply with regulations in livestock farming, ensure food safety and hygiene, protect the environment, etc.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202505/khai-thac-tiem-nang-nuoi-ca-nuoc-lanh-25d32f2/