Dr Simão Zacarias, Prof. Tran Minh Phu (Can Tho University - Vietnam) and Prof. Sunil Kadri (Charles Darwin University - Australia) recently visited a snakehead fish hatchery and farm in An Giang Province as part of the Open Philanthropy supported research project focused on understanding perceptions of farmed snakehead welfare in the Mekong Delta. This project is being led by Can Tho University College of Aquaculture and Fisheries with support from Charles Darwin University’s Research Institute of Northern Agriculture in Australia and the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture, UK .
During the visit they engaged with farmers, discussed some of the welfare issues relating to snakehead production, and gathered relevant information for the survey questionnaire validation.
Snakehead grow-out pond in An Giang Province, Vietnam
The farmers are aware of the normal behaviours of snakehead at all stage of the production cycle, and monitor these in order to determine any deviations which may indicate problems among the fish. Snakehead are air breathing fish and the researchers noticed that appropriate behavioural indicators are to some extent different from non-air breathing fish.
Simão Zacarias (Left), Prof. Sunil Kadri (Middle), Prof. Tran Minh Phu (Right) at the snakehead grow-out farm in An Giang Province, Vietnam, where they were observing the behaviour of the air breathing fish in a pond.
One of the main areas of concern for farmers is a significant increase in abnormalities during grow-out, resulting from insufficient protein content in the feed. This is being addressed through collaborative actions between farmers and feed companies, to ensure that high quality diets with good quality protein sources are used.
Farmers are also aware that use of chemicals, especially during fingerlings production, constitute a high welfare risk, potentially causing deformities and an increased risk of disease. They therefore avoid using them.
The researchers were shown a snakehead hatchery. Natural enrichment is added to each cage where a pair of brooders spawn and fertilize the eggs without any artificial intervention
The project is currently conducting further survey work with a workshop planned to review findings in October.