Restoring aquaculture

Restarting a business

For over a month now, Mr. Do Anh Viet, from Tan Quang ward ( Tuyen Quang city), along with a team of metalworkers, has been rebuilding his fish cage system. Mr. Viet shared: "The recent historic flood swept away all of my family's assets. Two cages were buried and washed away, and the remaining ones were also destroyed by the flood and cannot be reused." According to Mr. Viet, from his grandfather's and father's generations to his, the livelihood has depended on fishing and cage fish farming, so despite the losses, he must strive to rebuild. Mr. Viet mainly raises specialty fish species such as snakehead, catfish, and tilapia, which require a long rearing time. In the current circumstances, he will switch to raising them alongside other common fish species like grass carp, silver carp, and tilapia to ensure his livelihood.

Locals are going to the Provincial Fisheries Center to buy fish fry to replenish their fish stocks.

Despite losing everything, the members of the Yen Nguyen Fisheries Cooperative (Chiem Hoa district) are not discouraged from abandoning their cage fish farming on the Lo River, a profession that has become a trademark not only of Yen Nguyen but also of Chiem Hoa district. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Thiet, Director of the Cooperative, they are having the cages hoisted ashore. Those that can be used will be reinforced and reused, while damaged cages will be dismantled and replaced with new ones. Mr. Thiet explained that the flood destroyed the entire cage system, so to ensure successful fish farming, almost the entire system must be rebuilt. Although costly, cage fish farming is deeply ingrained in the lives of generations of people in Hop Long commune, Yen Nguyen district, so they are determined to find ways to preserve the profession. Mr. Thiet also hopes that the province, district, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will provide support in terms of capital and seeds to help those affected by the natural disaster quickly restart their businesses.

According to a report from the Department of Livestock, Veterinary and Fisheries, the flood following the remnants of Typhoon No. 3 damaged 499 hectares of fish farming area and 527 fish cages, mainly specialty fish species such as: catfish, carp, snakehead, and black catfish... Chiem Hoa district suffered the most damage with 370 cages. Currently, some households have begun to rebuild and restock, gradually restoring their livelihoods. However, this is on a small scale, as for large-scale farmers, restoring production requires not only the will and effort of the farmers themselves but also significant support from the government, relevant agencies, and credit institutions. Mr. Trinh Van Ha, from Group 7, Na Hang town (Na Hang district), said: The flood on September 10th and 11th swept away the entire system of cages and equipment used for production, estimated at about 1.4 billion VND. Restoring everything at this time is extremely difficult for his family. Mr. Ha is very eager to receive support and assistance from the district, the Department of Agriculture, and banks to help him restart his business.

Sharing the difficulties with cage fish farmers.

To quickly overcome the consequences of Typhoon No. 3 and the subsequent floods, restore and develop agricultural, forestry, and fisheries production, ensure food supply, contribute to inflation control, and stabilize the lives of the people, the Provincial People's Committee issued document No. 4903/UBND-KT dated October 23, 2024, on promoting the restoration of agricultural production after Typhoon No. 3 in the province.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dai Thanh, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department has coordinated with districts and cities to inspect, review, and compile a list of affected localities to propose support policies. Regarding the aquaculture sector, to ensure stable farming, the Department requires localities to organize the collection and disposal of waste, pollutants, and dead aquatic animals according to regulations; ensuring that no environmental pollution occurs and no disease outbreaks develop in aquaculture areas affected by the storm. The Livestock, Veterinary and Fisheries Sub-Department is responsible for guiding aquaculture facilities in repairing and restoring cage and raft systems, paying attention to using new, environmentally friendly materials that can withstand harsh weather and river conditions. Regarding the supply of breeding stock, the Department has assigned the Fisheries Center to provide sufficient stock to meet the needs of people for restocking after Typhoon No. 3.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Nghia, Deputy Director of the Provincial Fisheries Center, affirmed: The Center is committed to supplying sufficient quantities of fish fry, from specialty to common varieties, to meet market demand. Prices for all types of fry remain unchanged. In case of high market demand, the Center will connect with other Fisheries Centers nationwide to supply high-quality fry to help farmers replenish their stock. Mr. Nguyen Quang Nghia also advised fish farmers to take advantage of the remaining high temperatures to release fish early, avoiding releasing them at the end of the year when temperatures drop, which could affect the resistance of the young fish.

According to information from the banking system, banks are also following the directives of the State Bank of Vietnam to postpone and extend loan repayments, reduce interest rates, and provide new loans to businesses and individuals so that they have new capital to reinvest. Old debts will be reviewed and resolved appropriately to create the best conditions for customers, including those in the aquaculture sector, to rebuild and restore production.

Hopefully, with decisive leadership from the province, support from specialized agencies, and the efforts and perseverance of organizations and households involved in cage fish farming, the industry will soon recover.

Comment (0)