Controlling seeds and limiting pathogens on coldwater fish

Tran Chung Hung from O Quy Ho (Sapa, Lao Cai) is one of the first coldwater fish farmers in Sapa. With the acquired experience, he has expanded the farming scale to hundreds of salmon and sturgeon tanks. The methods he use to ensure clean water sources and bring in healthy seeds have prevented the widespread of infectious diseases in the coldwater fish farming model.

His fish farms are all well-invested from the moment they come into operation. The tanks are built of concrete and reinforced steel, ensuring stability and long-term use while avoiding risks from the influence of natural disasters. Fish farms are equipped with support machinery to maintain meat quality at its best conditions and prevent disease outbreaks.

Since 2017 Hung has decided to invest in coldwater fish farming around Bac waterfall in O Quy Ho ward. He started with 4 small tanks and 1,500 fingerlings, but disease and lack of technology caused him to suffer significant damage. At that time, the concept of coldwater fish farming was not well-known in Sapa. it was the local farmers who studied the farming method themselves as the techniques for raising grass carp and bighead carp were very different and thus unapplicable.

Restaurant menus used to lack salmon and sturgeon dishes because few people ate them. Hung still boldly opened a small restaurant, processing sturgeon and salmon to sell to diners visiting O Quy Ho pass. This approach initially contributed to creating a brand for coldwater fish in Sapa. Hung now becomes the owner of more than 100 sturgeon and salmon tanks scattered in Sapa town (Lao Cai) and Tam Duong district (Lai Chau).

Every year, he sells approximately 700,000 sturgeon and salmon seeds to markets inside and outside the province, earning VND 10 billion. He regularly raises roughly 5,000 commercial fish in one tank and sells them when they reach 1.5 - 2 kg. As for this year, Hung has sold 45 tons of sturgeon and salmon with an average price of VND 200,000/kg, collecting VND 9 billion in total. After deducting costs, his profit was around VND 5 billion. In the future, he will continue to expand farming in other localities with suitable natural and climatic conditions.

“Coldwater fish farming is growing strong at the moment and the market demand is massive, so we apply technology to increase efficiency such as using automatic feeding machines, circulating aeration pump systems so that the fishes are healthy and have high resistance to diseases, thereby bringing greater benefits to farmers.

“We are importing juvenile fish and importing parent fish from Europe to gradually take initiative in breeding, avoid the risk of diseases or breeds of unknown origin. Some diseases in coldwater fish such as gill rot or white liver are difficult to detect when the fish are young, and it is unlikely that we can treat the disease immediately when spotted. Solving this problem by controlling the breed and hatching it with your own fish will be a more solid foundation. It is expected that we will have the first batch of fish ready by the beginning of Tet,” said Hung.

Hung is working with the Research Institute for Aquaculture No.1 and aquatic medicine companies to regularly conduct water tests and take samples of fish diseases to have appropriate solutions at each period. With a methodical approach, the death rate will be minimized.

He also believes that the level of damage caused by infected coldwater fish depends on the experience of each farming household, but in general, an overall loss of less than 10% is still within the allowable risk level. He currently applies a coldwater fish model with a closed and circular farming procedure, reducing the amount of residual water in the fish tank and thus labor costs required for cleaning. This model helps prevent most diseases that commonly occur in coldwater fish due to changes in the farming environment.

“It is imperative to apply technology because it helps reduce labor. Particularly when it's rainy and windy, farmers don’t have to go to the streams but can still turn off the water source and activate the circulation pump system, thus ensuring safety," Hung said.