Earn billions by raising eels in cement tanks

Bac Lieu Mr. Vo Van Ut, 68 years old, in Phuoc Long district, is a pioneer in raising eels in cement tanks, earning nearly two billion VND each year.

Many years ago, when he was the Secretary of the Hong Dan District Party Committee, seeing the effectiveness of the eel farming model, Mr. Ut dug two ponds of about 2,000 m2 on his land to experiment with the farming. Initially, the farming was quite effective, but later revealed its limitations, with more than 50% of the fish lost, and he had no profit.

He investigated the cause and realized that the fish died because of poor breeding sources. Previously, eel breeding was mainly done using wild-caught fish, and the quality was not guaranteed. From then on, he was determined to master the breeding to supply his family and farmers in the area.

Mr. Vo Van Ut is checking commercial eels in a cement tank. Photo: An Minh — Mr. Vo Van Ut is checking commercial eels in a cement tank. Photo: *An Minh*

First, he proactively linked with Can Tho University and the Aquaculture Research Institute 3 in Nha Trang to transfer the technique of raising eel fry in cement tanks to the locality, which was well received by farmers. Specialized units in the district completed the process of transferring the technique to the people.

After retiring in 2015, he had plenty of time, so he boldly invested hundreds of millions of dong to raise eel fry weighing about 200 fish per kilogram to 20 fish per kilogram, and raised them in cement tanks. Many people did not believe that eels could live "on land", thinking that his work was crazy. Because the method of raising fish in tanks was so novel, it took him nearly two years to successfully breed the fish.

His farm imported silver eel fry (6,500 per kilogram) from the Philippines at a price of more than $1,000 per kilogram to raise into large fry. "Successfully raising large fry helps farmers reduce about 50% of the loss compared to buying fry from the wild," said Mr. Ut.

The opportunity to raise commercial eels came to him quite unexpectedly. When he shipped the eel fry, he left two to raise. Unexpectedly, the fish grew very well, each weighing more than 6 kg in just a few months. This proves that raising commercial eels in cement tanks is feasible, but requires a strict process.

His belief in raising commercial eels in cement tanks was further strengthened after he went to Korea to access modern greenhouse farming technology. After many years of research, Mr. Ut concluded that the most important thing to successfully raise fish in tanks is to clean the water environment. Farmers must equip an oxygen supply system, regularly filter and change the water in the tank to avoid polluting the environment and causing the fish to become sick.

Commercial eel after harvest. Photo: An Minh — Commercial eel after harvest. Photo: *An Minh*

Mr. Ut combines raising fish with industrial feed and chopped tilapia. After a year and a half of raising, the fish reach a weight of about 20 fish per kilogram or more, and the farmer can feed the fish entirely with tilapia. This helps save costs because this is a type of fish that is abundant locally and quite cheap.

"This is a model that requires meticulousness and a lot of effort," said Mr. Ut, adding that compared to earthen ponds, raising eels in tanks has the advantage of controlling water sources and pathogens, and does not require a large area. His farm currently has 6 cement tanks (each tank is about 50 m2) for raising commercial eels and about 4 fish nursery tanks.

Every year, Mr. Ut's facility sells dozens of tons of commercial fish at a price of 450,000-550,000 VND per kilogram. He sells eel fry for nearly two million VND per kilogram for a 20-piece size, and customers must order in advance. The total profit from fish farming each year he earns is nearly two billion VND. He is planning to expand his facility to meet the demand for quality eel fry for farmers in the area.

Eels are a type of catfish, with thick skin, round body, 40-50 cm long, looking like eels or sea snakes. This is a highly adaptable species, can live in fresh, salt and brackish water. The fish meat is sweet and fatty, can be processed into many delicious dishes, good for health.

An Minh

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