The storm Damrey has caused serious damage to aquaculture in Khanh Hoa Province. Therefore, the local authority and raisers need to study and apply new way in making cages and rafts to confront big waves and storms.
The storm Damrey has caused serious damage to aquaculture in Khanh Hoa Province. Therefore, the local authority and raisers need to study and apply new way in making cages and rafts to confront big waves and storms.
According to Vo Khac En, deputy manager of the provincial Fishery Branch, the whole province had 54,000 aquaculture cages and rafts on sea. The cages were made from wood and plastic barrels, which didn’t meet requirements on size and technique. The storm Damrey ruined more than 35,000 cages and rafts. Before the storm, raisers had reinforced their cages and rafts or pulled them to areas having less wind, but most of them didn’t stand up to the storm. Backward way in making aquaculture cages and rafts partly accounted for serious damage.
“It’s time the authorities and raisers to study and apply new technologies and materials into making aquaculture cages and rafts to prevent damage in natural calamities”, En said.
Actually, many raisers in stormy provinces like Quang Ninh, Nghe An, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, etc. have applied new ways to keep their cages safe from sea waves and storms. For example, raisers in Quang Ninh Province use HDPE plastic to make rafts. This kind of material has long use. It is not corrosive but is easy to bend. Price of HDPE plastic is moderate, costing about VND15 million for a 4sq.m. cages. In Nghe An Province and Bac Lieu Province, raisers make rafts by composite. Price of this material is high but it’s safe and easy to move.
At the meeting with Khanh Hoa Province in early November, the Minister of Natural Resource and Environment Tran Hong Ha said that the province should learn experience in aquaculture in rainy and stormy conditions.
According to Tao Anh Tuan, deputy director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the time to come, the department will study Norwegian new technology as well as way to make cages and rafts by composite in Nghe An Province and by HDPE in Quang Ninh Province, then trained them to local raisers.
Van Giang
Translated by T.T
