Coldwater fish farmers’ concerns over diseases and lack of capital

In Den Sang commune of Bat Xat district, a lot of farmer’s ponds and production facilities are filled with mud. Walls and embankments are broken, and there are not even one fish in the pond.

Luu Van Quang, a farmer in Den Sang village, Den Sang commune lost more than 20 tons of commercial sturgeon from 1.8 - 3 kg. The only way for him to console himself is by saying "Where there is man still, there is wealth". He is now cleaning and disinfecting the entire pond, and renovating the production facility to prepare to release a new batch of fish.

“In this coldwater fish industry, many households are struggling, the loss eats away all the capital, so production can not be restored easily. My case is not to that extent because of luck. Thanks to having stable seed sources, I am able to save a lot of costs. However, my wish remains that the authorities create conditions to reduce interest rates for the bank's loan, in the hope of overcoming this difficult time,” said Quang.

Meanwhile, Tran Quoc Khanh’s farm in the same village was damaged up to 36 tons of fish due to floods. He has currently rented machinery and workers to clean up the pond surface and push the mud out. The embankments must be rebuilt and broken fish tanks must be repaired. The restoration cost is estimated at VND 1 billion.

“The thing I find most difficult is the capital source. When it comes to seeds, labor and machines I can borrow somewhere, so it’s manageable. After cleaning the pond, I used lime powder to sterilize it because the fish died due to landslides and floodwaters pushing sandy soil into the pond, not due to disease. And the water source remains stable through inspection,” he said.

According to Nguyen Dinh Thanh, Vice Chairman of Den Sang Commune People's Committee, in order to restore coldwater fish production in the area, the commune has been granted disinfectants to treat the environment and ponds. However, for farmers who have not accumulated capital and suffered damage immediately in the first crop, restoring production does not seem easy.

A recent report from Lao Cai Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health shows that production facilities have coordinated with the local government to review and reinforce the water supply and farm pond system to restore production.

Some ponds are severely damaged, and a lot of mud gets in, so farmers must dredge them all and perform disinfection so as not to affect the environment. Fish ponds overflown with floodwater will have the water drained and re-cleaned. After that, farmers can release seedlings early to ensure growth since coldwater fish can be produced all year round, not seasonally.

“Lao Cai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development periodically monitors the farming environment, and at the same time combines disease surveillance to recommend the best measures farmers can take to help fish grow fast and steady,” said Nguyen Duy Trieu, Lao Cai Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health.

Regarding the restocking of coldwater fish during this period, Lao Cai Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health mentions several issues:

The water environment may change largely due to heavy rainfall, particularly pH and turbidity.

When changing seasons towards winter, fish often suffer from fungal diseases, parasites, and bacterial infections. In the case of some fungal diseases, the fungus can even eat into the fish intestines, the death rate is extremely high. Therefore, farmers need to periodically clean the farm to eliminate pathogens. It is possible to use specialized feed and antiseptic drugs as per instructions to prevent parasitic diseases related to gills and internal organs.

Another thing to note is that farmers must not use antibiotics indiscriminately, and absolutely not use antibiotics for people to cure aquatic products.

“Local coldwater fish farmers should send samples to Lao Cai Sub-Department of Livestock Production and Animal Health or specialized agencies to create antibiotics and later the best medicine for that type of fish. Through testing the fish tends to develop resistance to outdated antibiotics, so it is imperative to make an antibiogram to come up with effective treatment,” Nguyen Duy Trieu said.