Building and developing Da River fish products

Quynh Nhai currently has more than 10,000 hectares of lake water surface, which is an advantage for the district to develop cage fish farming and fishing. With large aquaculture and fishing output, cooperatives, production and business households in the district have gradually developed local specialties, building the Da River fish brand of Quynh Nhai.

Ho Quynh Aquatic Cooperative, Chieng On Commune, Quynh Nhai District, raises catfish on Son La Hydroelectric Reservoir.

The district maintains 275 hectares of water surface for aquaculture, including more than 4,000 fish cages on the lake, with 25 cooperatives operating in the field of aquaculture and seafood processing. The annual aquaculture output reaches over 1,800 tons; of which, over 1,200 tons are farmed fish. Since the beginning of the year, the output of farmed and caught aquaculture has reached over 500 tons. The types of aquaculture on the lake are quite diverse, with many types of fish such as grass carp, common carp, red tilapia, catfish, etc.

The characteristic of Son La hydroelectric reservoir is clean water, aquaculture farmers are always proactive in natural food sources, helping fish grow well, ensuring food safety and hygiene. Cage fish farming has been maintained and developed for many years, so people have experience, can calculate the time and water level of the hydroelectric reservoir, proactively take care of plans, prevent diseases, and move fish cages to safe places at each time.

As one of the early established aquaculture cooperatives, after more than 10 years of operation, Ho Quynh Aquaculture Cooperative, Chieng On Commune, supplies Da Quynh Nhai river fish products to customers in the provinces and cities of the North. Mr. Lo Van Son, Deputy Director of the Cooperative, said: The Cooperative currently has 9 members, raising more than 400 fish cages. Previously, the Cooperative raised many different types of fish to diversify products. After studying market demand, the Cooperative switched to raising high-quality catfish according to safe processes. Each batch is raised for 18 months or more, with an output of over 300 tons, mainly consumed by large stores and supermarkets in Hanoi and some provinces, with an annual income of 200-700 million VND/member.

According to the experience of cage fish farmers in Quynh Nhai for many years, most customers prefer fresh fish products. Therefore, most of the fish output of cooperatives is sold in the form of harvesting and transporting directly to the place of consumption. Therefore, aquaculture farmers must also have "secrets". When the fish in cages are ready to be harvested, the net is often pulled up high, the cage area is narrowed so that the fish can continuously wag their tails and swim, like "exercising" to increase resistance, both helping the fish meat to be firm and helping the fish to increase their ability to withstand limited water environments and higher temperatures than normal, so that when transported, the fish do not suffocate, ensuring product quality.

With the desire to diversify products from aquaculture on the lake, some cooperatives and households have initially carried out preliminary processing and processing of aquatic products. Mr. Lo Van Binh, Director of An Binh Aquatic Products Cooperative, Chieng Bang Commune, shared: Along with selling fresh fish, last year, the cooperative invested in a cold storage to process more frozen fish and shrimp products, catfish fillets, dried oil fish, etc. At the end of 2023, the cooperative was consulted and supported by the district to prepare documents and was recognized as a 3-star OCOP product for frozen Da River fish, helping the cooperative improve production and business efficiency.

Also with the desire to bring Quynh Nhai seafood products to many users, Ms. Dao Thi Hieu, Muong Giang commune, has researched and produced products processed from Da River fish and shrimp, such as: Fish cakes, fish sausages, fish floss, fish rolls, dried fish... In 2022, her family's Da River fish cakes were recognized as a 3-star OCOP product. In addition, a number of cooperatives and business households in Quynh Nhai district are also developing processed seafood products, such as: Shrimp paste, fish cakes with betel leaves, boneless catfish, dried ditch fish, shrimp paste..., meeting the demand for fish and shrimp products for customers.

Mr. Dieu Chinh Hai, Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quynh Nhai district, informed: The district encourages households, businesses, and cooperatives in the area to develop cage fish farming, combined with the development of processed seafood products. The district also creates conditions for units to participate in trade promotion activities, introduce products at booths and fairs inside and outside the province to introduce and promote local seafood products.

From the typical product of the reservoir area, developing into an OCOP product has been helping aquaculture farmers create prestige for Da Quynh Nhai river fish products. Along with that, cooperatives and cage fish farming households are always actively innovating production and business methods, grasping market demand to improve the quality of fish stocks, diversifying processed seafood products, helping cage fish farming have the opportunity to develop sustainably, bringing stable income.

Article and photos: Thanh Dao

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