Successful artificial reproduction of Pangasius macronema

In the framework of the “Science and Technology” topic, a group of researchers from the Faculty of Fisheries (Can Tho University) and postgraduate Tran Dong Phuong An, has successfully artificially reproduced freshwater Pangasius macronema for the first time.

Pangasius macronema is a type of catfish (Vietnamese name: Sat Soc fish) which possesses very high market value. Currently, this fish species rarely appear in the wild, mostly concentrate in provinces such as An Giang, Dong Thap, Vinh Long and Can Tho city…

In order to develop the economy, recently, many farmers in some provinces upstream of the Mekong River have caught Pangasius macronema seeds in the wild and brought them back to raise in rafts on Tien and Hau rivers with industrial food for commercial sale. Currently, Pangasius macronema is sold in the market at a relatively high price of VND 120,000 - 130,000/kg, while in restaurants the price is from VND 250,000 to 300,000/kg.    

According to the research project team, after nearly 4 years of research, this is the first they have successfully stimulated artificial reproduction of Pangasius macronema and it is expected that this breed will be replicated and provided to farmers in 2023. This research project is sponsored by the Can Tho city Department of Science and Technology.