Ha Tinh’s cage fish farmers restore production hinh anh 1Cage fish farmers in Thach Ha district’s Thach Son commune, Ha Tinh province, invest in restoring production after last year's heavy losses. (Photo baohatinh.vn)
 
Ha Tinh (VNS/VNA) - Cage fish farmers in Thach Son commune, Thach Ha district, central Ha Tinh province, are investing to restore production after suffering heavy losses in early September 2019 due to heavy rains and flood that caused dozens of tonnes of fish to die.

Song Hai village was the most popular place for raising cage fish in Thach Ha district.

Local fish farmers turned to caged farming to take advantage of the Do Diem River that crosses through the area. The products are consumed in the province and in other large markets in the northern region such as Hanoi and Quang Ninh province. 

Nguyen Van Binh, a cage fish farmer in Song Hai village, said to baohatinh.vn: “The incident in September 2019 caused my family more than 500 million VND (21,500 USD) in damages, leaving me in debt.”

But Binh was still passionate about cage aquaculture, so he decided to invest, hoping to recover the losses caused by last year’s natural disaster.

In October 2019, with financial support from family and friends, he designed his own cages to raise 1,000 fish.

Thanks to proper technical care, the fish have been growing well, reaching weights of 0.3-0.5kg, so he was able to sell them to restaurants and hotels in the area.

Binh said he would set up a network of buyers and gradually expand his business to 12 cages, hoping for a bumper harvest by the end of this year.

“To limit the risk of natural disasters, I'm planning to buy agricultural insurance,” he said.

Nguyen Van Duc, head of Song Hai village, said: “After the September 2019 incident, many cage fish farmers here have overcome difficulties to restore production.”

Currently, eight among 52 fish-raising households are investing in building cages and raising thousands of fingerlings.

Nguyen Van Sau, Head of the Thach Ha District Division of Agriculture and Rural Development, said in order to overcome damages caused by last year’s flood, the provincial Fatherland Front Committee has decided to offer support totalling 707 million VND (30,400 USD) to local cage fish farmers. 

Cage fish farming on the open waters of the river here has more advantages compared to traditional pond models, especially in terms of the fish quality and output, according to many local fish farmers. Cage fish farming in Thach Son commune has brought a high income to many households.

However, the job brings with it many risks due to natural disasters, especially flooding.

Therefore, during the farming process, the fish breeders need to follow the seasonal calendar, regularly monitor the weather’s changes to take appropriate measures, aiming at minimising the damage./.
VNA