Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Aquaculture & Fisheries

This study was conducted by interviewing 64 snakehead farmers (pond culture) in An Giang and Tra Vinh provinces from February to April 2014. The results showed that farm scale in An Giang province was smaller than that in Tra Vinh province, the source of snakehead fingerling was mainly from hatcheries in An Giang. Pellet feed was used in snakehead farming with FCR: 1.32-1.33. Culture period, survival rate and yield were not significantly different between the two provinces; harvest size in Tra Vinh was larger than that in An Giang. Total cost of fish culture was rather high (4.9-5.8 VND billion/ha/crop), ratio of gained profit households in Tra Vinh and An Giang were 15.6% and 37.5%, respectively due to low farm gate price. Weather changes were effected snakehead pond culture such as (prolong hot and drought, hotter in dry season, large temperature variation between day and night, colder in cold season, irregular rain and sunshine and saline water intrusion caused more diseases, poorer water quality, reduced survival rate and yield. Farmers’ adaptive solution was increase the cost of water plumbing and using chemical- drug 24.2 - 29.2 VND million/ha/year.

NOP 14-330 (English)(Vietnamese)