Current situation of and challenge for snakehead farming (Channa micropeltes and Channa striatus) in the Mekong delta

• Published in: Nong Nghiep va Phat Trien Nong Thon no. 10
• Main Author: Le Xuan Sinh;, Do Minh Chung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.09.2010
• Subjects: CHANNA; CHANNA MICROPELTES; CHANNA STRIATUS; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_24327; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_37009; http://www.fao.org/aos/agrovoc#c_45101
• ISSN: 0866-7020

Cage culture of giant snakehead (Channa micropeltes) was started in 1960s while the farming of common snakehead fish (Channa striatus) was begun in 1990s and spread in the flood-prone areas of the Mekong delta, now. However, lack of information is common and the farming of these species heavily depends on wild indigenous low value fish/trash fish, especially for feed while the wild fish stock in freshwater bodies of the delta has been rapidly depleted due to many reasons. This study was conducted from January to October 2009, aiming to provide a better understanding for development of snakehead fish industry in the Mekong delta. The results showed that the cultured area or volume and the yield of fish varied strongly between 5 typical of fish farming system. In order to harvest 1.0kg of snakehead fish, about 4.0-4.5kg of trash fish are used. All of the snakehead farmers used fresh water trash fish in flooding season (September to December-lunar), but about 56.7% of total amount of trash fish for snakehead fish culture was from marine capture, yearly. The major difficulties faced by snakehead fish farmers are: (1) lack of capital; (2) pollution of cultured area and difficult to treat the fish diseases; (3) unstable price of table fish; and (4) increasing price of trash fish. These difficulties have resulted in a decreasing profit and an increasing rate of unsuccessful farmers. These difficulties have resulted in a decreasing profit and an increasing rate of unsuccessful farmers. If the cost of self-captured trash fish was not taken into account, the rate of successful farmers of snakeheads was 60-80% per crop, but it was 40-50% in the case of the cost of own-captured trash fish was included.