New directions in aquaculture development

With a long coastline and nearly 60,000 hectares of sea surface stretching from Quang Yen Town to Mong Cai City, Quang Ninh possesses outstanding advantages to develop forms of cage farming that very few localities in the country have. is possible, especially developing forms of cage and raft farming with many seafood species of high economic value. However, the scale of marine farming in the province is still fragmented and small. This reality requires change and the multi-culture, multi-value marine farming area model in Van Don district is a new and promising direction to both sustainably develop the seafood industry and promote development. local tourism.

Model of multi-crop, multi-value marine farming area in Van Don district.

Currently, the whole province has 104 aquaculture enterprises and cooperatives, over 10,300 aquaculture establishments. Including nearly 2,850 marine farming facilities (accounting for 27% of the total number of farming facilities in the province); Annual marine aquaculture output is about 45,000-50,000 tons (accounting for 50-55% of total aquaculture output).

However, the province's marine aquaculture is still facing some difficulties, such as: There is no design of a raft system, raft cluster, or infrastructure for marine aquaculture that applies to each type of farming or for each individual. mixed farming facilities; Floating materials in marine aquaculture are mainly wood and bamboo; The sanitation system and wastewater treatment system discharged directly into the environment do not meet regulations; Farming objects are not diverse, there is no process for seaweed farming or seaweed farming combined with molluscs and sea fish; Small production organizations, lack of connection, low efficiency, mainly household production accounts for 99% and there are not many large enterprises with financial potential, science and technology investment to lead the chain. production value...

 Marine fish cages use environmentally friendly materials.

In order to exploit and promote strengths, take full advantage of competitive advantages, focus on solving difficulties and overcoming challenges, in 2022 Quang Ninh Fisheries Sub-department (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) coordinates with Group Joint Stock Company STP researched, designed and tested a multi-crop, multi-value marine farming area model on Phat Co island (Ha Long commune, Van Don district).

Mr. Do Dinh Minh, Director of the Fisheries Branch (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) said: In terms of aquaculture in general, marine aquaculture in particular is facing marine environmental pollution, affecting the ecosystem. From the farming process itself, intercropping to help farming species help reduce marine environmental pollution, improve productivity, minimize risks, and create hygienic and food safe products is the direction of development. sustainable aquaculture. The goal of implementing the model is to design a model marine aquaculture model so that marine aquaculture facilities can apply and replicate to standardize the mixed farming process, the marine aquaculture process combined with experiential tourism. and educate the community to improve productivity, output and water surface use efficiency, contributing to increased income as well as linking fisheries development with marine ecosystem protection.

 Korean Export Promotion Association visited the high-value multi-species marine farming model on Phat Co Island. Photo provided by unit

The model is designed to include 4 main areas: Area 1 - Operating room; Zone 2 - Aquaculture (marine fish farming, Pacific oyster farming, seaweed farming); zone 3 - Pre-processing; Zone 4 - Tourism (entertainment fishing area, check-in area, motel area, swimming pool). The areas are linked together by corridors, intercropping aquaculture objects to limit disease transmission, support each other to protect the marine environment and raise awareness of protecting aquatic resources. In 2022, the model will be piloted on 10 hectares. It is expected that in 2023-2025, the Provincial People's Committee will request 2 areas in Cam Pha City and Ha Long City with an area of about 150 hectares.

The highlight is that all 24 cages are made of HDPE and 304 stainless steel materials that are very environmentally friendly, sustainable, can withstand sea water and ensure wind and waves; Farming subjects with multiple aquatic species, such as grouper, cobia, sea bass, yellowfin pompano, Pacific oyster farming combined with seaweed farming... The combined farming of species has broken the monoculture of fish. oysters, creating a new valuable commodity called seaweed. Visiting this area, visitors can exchange experiences in designing, operating models, and managing farming models. At the same time, you can experience fishing on a raft and enjoy products that you exploit and process yourself.

 Recreational fishing sub-area in the multi-crop, multi-value marine farming area model on Phat Co island. Photo provided by unit

The farming model makes maximum use of water surface resources, increasing productivity and output by 1.5-2 times compared to conventional sea farming (10-20 tons/ha/crop). Labor costs are reduced by half, material reuse is over 50%, and maintenance costs are reduced. After more than a year of implementation, evaluation results show that raising Pacific ocean fish and oysters according to this model has both a density 1.2-1.5 times higher than the single model, and no pollutes the environment due to the amount of waste being absorbed by seaweed, limiting disease. Raising seaweed according to this model also grows faster, the time is reduced by 1.5 times, the survival rate is increased by 1.3 times compared to single seaweed farming, thanks to which many crops can be raised in a year, and the quality of seaweed is increased. good, ensuring the marine environment. The number of tourists coming to visit, experience and use services is increasing. Statistics show that the income from the model reaches 80-100 million VND/cage/crop. Thanks to combining both marine farming and tourism development, the model has brought jobs and stable economic efficiency to households of Phat Co Cooperative.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Dung, Chairman of the Vietnam Seaculture Association, affirmed: Quang Ninh's multi-culture, multi-value marine farming area model is a bright spot in the country. By promoting the integration of many different marine economic sectors together, it is certain that in the near future there will be a sustainable and effective marine economic sector. To do this, provinces need to soon find solutions to harmoniously develop tourism and marine aquaculture, and develop community tourism in marine aquaculture areas.

Hoang Nga BQN