Efficiency of oyster and grouper farming along Nai lagoon (12-12-2018)
Nai Lagoon is one of the 12 coastal lagoons in our country, typical of tropical drought of coastal region, with abundant aquatic resources, located in the concentrated residential area of Ninh Hai district, Ninh Thuan province.
In recent years, shrimp farming has encountered many difficulties and challenges such as diseases, high production cost, water environment degradation, epidemics, economic barriers due to shrimp containing antibiotic residues…Thus, the agricultural sector has invested in the project “Applying advanced science and technology to build a number of suitable aquaculture models to create sustainable livelihoods for communes along the Nai lagoon”. At the beginning of 2017, the first Seafood Center has presided over the project with the model of Pacific oyster and red-spotted grouper farming.
Pacific oyster farming model is for 40 households with an area of 20ha. Average harvest size is 10 - 12 pcs/kg and productivity is 14 - 15 tons/ha. Model of red-spotted grouper farming is for 10 households with 2.5ha area. Average harvest size is over 1.0 kg/head and productivity is 8 - 10 tons/ha. 11 technicians were trained on farming techniques and technical training was conducted for 150 turns of people.
The cost of raising Pacific oysters in ponds is not much, the labor cost is 40% of the total cost, the selling price is 26,000 VND/kg. The benefit is about 57,000,000 VND/0.5ha, which is not high but of great significance in creating jobs and incomes for households who already has farming ponds but lack capital.
The model of raising red-spotted grouper in pond costs much, accounting for 54% of the total cost, with the selling price of 240,000 VND/kg, giving a profit of 207.000.000 VND/0.25ha, which contributed to significant increase of income for the farmers.
Pacific oysters are filter feeders with main food of single-celled algae and organic matter suspended in water. The process of raising them is without supplementing food, the feed supplied to oysters is mainly from natural water sources, contributing to improving the environment. During the culture period, feeding red-spotted grouper industrial feed, the rations were calculated rationally according to the time of rearing and size of farmed fish. Therefore, the excess food in the pond is not significant. Moreover, the pond environment is always controlled daily, suitable for fish growth. Water exchanges are made when needed. The model of grouper culture in earthen ponds does not pollute the environment for farming and daily life of the community.
The project has ended but the households continue to raise the species. This has become a new livelihood, contributing to the diversity, transforming the aquatic species for culture, creating jobs, increasing income for residents along the Nai lagoon.
Nhu Nguyet