Quang Tri: Raising yellowfin pompano in abandoned shrimp ponds
The intensive farming model of yellowfin pompano in Hai Lang district, Quang Tri province, opens up new prospects for the coastal area, which used to thrive in white-leg shrimp farming but has recently encountered many difficulties due to disease, high costs and unstable markets.
Yellowfin pompano grows and develops well. Photo: NNC
The yellowfin pompano is a new species of fish that grows quickly, is disease-resistant, easy to care for, and is suitable for industrial farming in tarpaulin-lined ponds, cages, or saltwater. The experimental farming in a 2,000m² pond with 6,000 juveniles, with technical support from the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, has shown positive results, with an output of more than 2.9 tons after more than six months, with a profit of about 50 million VND, equivalent to 250 million VND/ha, and a fish survival rate of over 90%.
The process of raising yellowfin pompano has been completed according to VietGAP, focusing on controlling environmental conditions, such as temperature, salinity, water level and oxygen in the pond. The fingerlings are carefully selected, have high resistance, are not deformed, and are domesticated before release. At the same time, the care process includes regular checks, periodic water changes, use of industrial feed supplemented with vitamins, digestive enzymes and disease prevention with formalin. The fish have the ability to adapt well to the environment, are less susceptible to disease, and cost less to feed than other aquatic species, while reducing risks and labor compared to shrimp farming.
After the initial success, people in Hai An commune expanded the model to an additional 0.6 hectares, releasing more than 21,000 fish fry. The results showed that the fish grew well and developed stably. This is a feasible and sustainable solution, opening up great opportunities to develop the aquaculture industry in the coastal areas of Quang Tri, helping households reduce their dependence on risky shrimp farming, while aiming to expand the scale of yellowfin pompano farming to become a key industrial product in the future.