Testing new technologies for sustainable aquaculture in Vietnam

After assessing potential improvement areas related to current catfish production practices in Vietnam, we discovered that water quality and feeding protocols were sub-optimal. This project aims to improve these conditions using advanced Danish technology. As part of the initiative, five ponds with an area of 0.25 ha have been equipped with modern water quality monitoring, water treatment (aeration and filtration) and feeding devices at Phu Thuan farm in Hau Giang province. One of the ponds, where traditional practices are applied, has been kept as a control.

The ponds have been stocked with fingerlings (average weight 10-15 g) on 12 May 2015 and the experiment will last six months, after which the economic feasibility of using modern technology will be verified. Together with other members of the VIDATEC partnership, we anticipate to observe decreased feed conversion ratios (FCRs) – amount of feed used to produce 1 kg of fish, increased growth rates and higher survival rates due to the provision of better fish welfare.

Based on the expected economic yield, it is expected that the increased profitability of such systems will be a great incentive to support the integration of these technologies in South East Asia. The use of the new technologies will improve environmental sustainability of the catfish industry as less feed and water will be used for each production cycle, thereby decreasing the amounts of organic content in discharged water.

At the same time, the ponds at Phu Thuan farm will be used as demonstration ponds for the training programs that we are leading as part of the VIDATEC partnership.

Automatic feeding of catfish fingerlings. Feeders are set to automatically feed the fish when the dissolved oxygen values in the water exceed a predetermined threshold value (Phu Thuan farm, Hau Giang province, Vietnam). © DHI