Aquaculture industry in Duong Kinh is struggling.

The aquaculture area in Duong Kinh ward (Hai Phong) was once considered a "pond basin" with great potential, but in recent years, productivity has decreased sharply, forcing many farming households to operate at a reduced capacity.

The area dedicated to high-yield aquaculture has decreased sharply in the Tan Thanh aquaculture zone, Duong Kinh ward.

Area for high-yield aquaculture has decreased sharply.

Duong Kinh Ward was established by merging Tan Thanh and Hai Thanh wards, and is a traditional area for aquaculture. The total aquaculture area is approximately 335 hectares (including 300 hectares of brackish water and 35 hectares of freshwater), with more than 900 households.

However, due to prolonged water pollution, deteriorating irrigation infrastructure, and concerns about the planning project, aquaculture in Duong Kinh ward is facing its most difficult period. According to the Department of Economy , Infrastructure and Urban Development of Duong Kinh ward, in recent years, aquaculture has become increasingly unsustainable. This is because the irrigation system in the fields, built more than 30 years ago, only served rice production and lacked a separate water supply and drainage system for aquaculture. A total of 12 canals, 3 pumping stations, and 4 culverts under the dike are severely degraded and do not meet the requirements for large-scale shrimp and fish farming.

According to Nguyen Van Dao, head of the Tan Thanh Aquaculture Cooperative, the 175.6-hectare aquaculture area managed by the cooperative has 610 farming households. However, 90% of the households are only farming on a limited scale due to unreliable water quality. The aquaculture ponds in Duong Kinh ward are like a basin, receiving wastewater from the Dinh Vu, Do Son, and Cau Rao industrial zones. When the tide rises, the water flows into the sea; when the tide recedes, the water accumulates in the Duong Kinh aquaculture area, leading to unstable water quality. According to the results of the first environmental monitoring and warning in aquaculture in October 2025 by the Fisheries, Livestock and Veterinary Sub-Department (Department of Agriculture and Environment), recommendations were issued in several localities, including the brackish water shrimp farming area in Duong Kinh ward. Some monitoring points showed pH and turbidity values ​​lower than the permissible limits. Salinity levels at all 9 monitoring points remain quite low, unsuitable for brackish water shrimp farming. Five species of toxic algae are present at very high densities, along with bacteria causing hepatopancreatic necrosis in farmed shrimp. Therefore, farmers need to monitor water intake timing and pay attention to appropriate treatment measures (using filter bags; sedimentation, chemicals, environmental treatment products, etc.), stabilizing pH, dissolved oxygen, and salinity before supplying water to shrimp ponds.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Dao, besides water quality issues, the aquaculture area is currently included in the planning for two urban projects, so many households are hesitant to expand or reinvest. While in 2017, the area for high-yield aquaculture in the ward reached 20 hectares, it has now shrunk to only about 5.7 hectares. People only maintain ponds for extensive farming, with low yields of 6-7 quintals/hectare. The cooperative's revenue, which was over 20 billion VND/year in the 2015-2017 period, is now only about 15 billion VND/year.

In reality, the number of households raising high-yield shrimp in Duong Kinh ward is quite small, as not every household has the resources to invest in water filtration tanks and ponds. For example, Mr. Nguyen Van Khoi invested approximately 5 billion VND to raise high-yield whiteleg shrimp. Mr. Khoi stated that his family owns 3 hectares, but 2 hectares are dedicated to water filtration ponds to support the 1 hectare shrimp farming. He had to borrow money and mortgage his property to the bank, not to mention the heavy losses of over 5 billion VND from Typhoon Yagy in 2024. Therefore, it has only been about two months since his family started raising a new shrimp crop. However, Mr. Khoi is worried and hopes this crop will not be affected by weather or disease so that he can recover his investment.

People mainly practice extensive farming to make the most of their available land.

Difficulties need to be overcome.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, agricultural specialist at the Economic, Infrastructure and Urban Planning Department of Duong Kinh Ward, said: "Initially, to support households in ensuring water sources for aquaculture, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has set up a monitoring and warning point for aquaculture environments in the ward. Based on the monitoring results, we will promptly inform and advise aquaculture households in the ward on measures to ensure water quality for aquaculture. At the same time, the ward is coordinating with Da Do Irrigation Works Exploitation Company Limited to proactively regulate, release, and supply water to balance brackish water levels."

According to Dao Huu Cuong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Duong Kinh Ward, in the coming time, the locality will focus on forming specialized farming areas based on key product groups, especially brackish water aquatic products. The locality encourages aquaculture households to apply environmental sensor technology and automatic water quality monitoring. In addition, the ward will continue to organize technical training and technology transfer, especially in greenhouse farming and recirculating water treatment; and upgrade the irrigation system to suit the actual conditions of the locality.

That's the direction, but for the fisheries industry to recover, people hope for the early investment in synchronized infrastructure. Mr. Nguyen Van Dao suggested that if the irrigation system is not upgraded and the project planning area is not clearly announced, people will find it difficult to feel secure in production and invest boldly.

The majority of aquaculture households in Duong Kinh ward still maintain a "labor-intensive" mindset, relying on extensive farming methods to maximize land use. To properly exploit the local economic advantages, infrastructure must be invested in comprehensively, and planning needs to be clear. People are willing to invest and adopt new technologies, but they need technical support, irrigation systems, and a unified development direction. Only when these "bottlenecks" are removed can the aquaculture lagoons of Duong Kinh ward fully realize their inherent potential.

BUI HUONG

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/lao-dao-nghe-nuoi-thuy-san-o-duong-kinh-527306.html