Mr. Ho Thanh Phuong's sturgeon farm (Hong Kim, A Luoi)

Many potentials

According to research results from the Institute of Aquaculture Research I, domesticated Siberian sturgeon in Vietnam can survive in high temperatures. Therefore, it is possible to commercially farm sturgeon in cool water sources with temperatures not exceeding 30°C. In Hue City, sturgeon was first introduced for trial farming in A Luoi district in 2019-2020 by the Center for Aquaculture Research. After two years of implementing the model, it was shown that this fish species grew and developed well, adapting to the climate and water conditions of the A Luoi area.

TTKN continues to survey several waterfalls and streams with year-round water temperatures consistently below 26 degrees Celsius in other localities such as Phu Loc and Phong Dien to expand the model. However, for this model to develop sustainably, a project is needed to assess its development potential and refine the technical process of breeding and cultivation.

Therefore, in 2023, the Center for Agricultural Extension implemented the project "Applying science and technology to build a model for breeding and raising sturgeon according to the value chain in mountainous communes of Hue City," with the goal of successfully applying scientific and technological advancements in developing sturgeon breeding and raising suitable to natural conditions according to the value chain and contributing to increasing income for the communities in the mountainous communes of Hue City. The project was implemented at 2 locations in A Luoi district and 1 location in Nam Dong district (now Phu Loc district) with a breeding scale of 150m2/3 locations and a farming scale of 1,500m2/3 locations.

After more than 3 months of implementing the sturgeon breeding model, the survival rate of the fish reached 63.3%, the average weight was 53.6g/fish, and the number of fingerlings harvested was 19,000. The survival rate of fish at Mr. Ho Thanh Phuong's household (Hong Kim commune, A Luoi district) and Huong Nguyen Border Guard Post both reached 70%, meeting the requirements of the project. The breeding model was also evaluated and its results were approved in April 2024. Currently, the households are continuing to raise and care for the fish until the completion of the commercial sturgeon farming model this May.

Mr. Ho Thanh Phuong said that his family released 10,000 sturgeon fry, achieving a 70% survival rate during the breeding season, and each fish now weighs 2kg. This is a new model that brings quite high economic efficiency and creates jobs for local laborers. To expand the scale of farming, Mr. Phuong believes that a stable market is needed, along with further investment in technology, especially safe farming solutions during the rainy and stormy season.

Elevating the status of sturgeon

Mr. Ho Van Minh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hong Kim commune, believes that the implementation of the sturgeon farming model by the Agricultural Extension Center has opened up a new direction in local economic development and contributed to increasing income and creating jobs for the people. Currently, Hong Kim commune has much potential for developing sturgeon farming, with its clean river and stream system creating favorable conditions for people to breed and conduct experimental farming. Simultaneously, the local government will continue to coordinate with relevant agencies to open training courses on science and technology, creating opportunities for people to access knowledge and techniques, thereby developing the model towards a value chain and creating branded products.

Mr. Chau Ngoc Phi, Director of the Hue City Aquaculture Research Center, affirmed that, along with the implementation of the breeding model, through the project, the Center has surveyed the natural conditions, needs, investment capacity for breeding and raising, and the market for sturgeon consumption to assess the potential and orientation for future breeding and raising. The Center has also received the technical process for breeding sturgeon and the technical process for raising commercial sturgeon from the Coldwater Fisheries Research Center - Institute of Aquaculture Research 1. Currently, the center is finalizing the breeding and raising process, and at the same time, coordinating with the Coldwater Fisheries Research Center to organize training courses for technicians on breeding, raising, diagnosing, detecting, preventing and treating diseases in fish.

The project also organized training courses on sturgeon breeding techniques for farmers in communes of A Lưới and Phú Lộc districts. It supported the development of a traceability system for A Lưới sturgeon at Mr. Nguyễn Thanh Phương's household in Hồng Kim commune. In addition, the project established a value chain traceability system for sturgeon products by assigning QR codes to products, allowing consumers to check and retrieve information; supported label design; and assisted model implementation points in linking and selling sturgeon products from the project. Furthermore, the project provided additional equipment for monitoring breeding areas and measuring environmental indicators.

According to Mr. Chau Ngoc Phi, during the implementation of the project, the Agricultural Extension Center focused on surveying breeds and coordinating with the transfer unit to supply materials from breeding stock to feed, especially the technology transfer process, helping people easily grasp and proactively manage production in the long term. In the coming time, the Agricultural Extension Center will coordinate with the model implementation sites to complete the remaining activities within the framework of the project to conduct acceptance testing and evaluate the results...

Text and photos: HA NGUYEN

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/nuoi-ca-tam-theo-chuoi-gia-tri-154088.html