Coldwater fish farming areas have narrowed across the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, fuelled by difficulties in distribution, investment and technology.

According to Tran Van Hao, Chairman of the Lam Dong Coldwater Fish Farming Association, only 11 of 40 projects were launched in 2014 on 30 hectares of water surface, instead of the planned 350 hectares, producing just 200 tonnes of sturgeons.

Low-priced Chinese sturgeon-made products smuggled into the country have also posed a big threat to domestic trade.

Meanwhile, raising tuna requires large investments and a strict process, forcing many firms to abandon the practice or only breed for research purposes.

Vu Ba Lien, a farm manager at Ngoc Mai Trang Company, said pricy imported feed, contaminated water and unusual rains caused much of his tuna to die, requiring the business to switch its operations to sturgeons and black carps.

These trends could lead the local industry to fall short of its growth targets of 100 hectares of farming and 3,000 tonnes of fish products by 2020.-VNA