Khanh Hoa: Breeding and commercial farming of Su Dat fish
The research and development of the process of producing seeds as well as commercial farming of the su dat fish (a marine fish species with high economic value, distributed in the Indo-Pacific region) was carried out by the Department of Science and Technology of Khanh Hoa in coordination with the Institute of Fisheries Research - Nha Trang University.
Su Dat seed-fishes. Photo: NNC
The catfish can reach a length of over 150 cm, a weight of 42 kg, with delicious meat, rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, suitable for farming in both saltwater and brackish water environments, with great potential for Vietnam's coastal aquaculture industry. However, at present, the production of breeds and commercial farming of catfish still face limitations in terms of facilities, unstable fertilization and survival rates, requiring more optimal technical processes.
Within the framework of the project, healthy, non-deformed 5-6 kg parent fish are raised in cages with fresh food rations of fish, squid, and shrimp twice a week. During the breeding season (March-June), the fish are tested to stimulate reproduction with hormones, then lay eggs in cages at sea, the eggs are collected, cleaned, packed in oxygen-filled bags and transported to the mainland to incubate in 500-liter composite tanks with a density of 500 eggs/liter.
As a result, the fertilization rate reached nearly 78%, the hatching rate was nearly 80.6%, successfully producing nearly 90 thousand fingerlings from 4-6cm in size, the survival rate of fry to fingerlings was 15.8%, and from fingerlings to fingerlings was 73.1%.
A 12-month commercial farming trial showed that fish of 5-6cm size had an average weight of 1.6kg, a survival rate of 81%, and a yield of 8.2kg/m3 of cage. The project also successfully transferred technology, built models for seed production and commercial farming locally, providing more than 41,000 fingerlings and more than 3,000kg of commercial fish, opening up a new potential business direction for coastal people in Khanh Hoa and the South Central provinces. The project was accepted and evaluated as meeting requirements by the Department of Science and Technology of Khanh Hoa.