Health & Life

Fish species is like “water ginseng”, tasty and nutritious, catch and sell right away

The unique aspect of this fish is that it can be sold after about 8-9 months of cultivation, but to achieve the best quality, it should be raised for about 12 months, at which point it will fetch a higher selling price.

Administrator

14 December, 2023

152

Starting from July to October every year, when the floodwaters recede, carrying with them the muddy and turbid water, the people of the Mekong Delta region collect many precious natural products, among which the longfin snakehead fish is considered one of the rare specialty fish.

The longfin snakehead fish is considered a rare specialty of the Mekong Delta region

This fish is compared to the “ginseng of water” because its flesh is rich in nutrients, beneficial for the body, especially for men. In traditional medicine, the snakehead fish, including the longfin snakehead fish, is called “thu ngu”, believed to have a sweet taste, neutral nature, non-toxic, and has the effect of tonifying qi and blood, invigorating the yang, clearing heat, quenching thirst, and curing internal heat…

It is known that the scientific name of the longfin snakehead fish is Mastacembelus Armatus. Its body is dark green or gray-black with round or oval yellow spots all over its body, dorsal fin, and anal fin; the pectoral fin has a small black spot, and there is no pelvic fin. This fish species can reach a large size, up to 90cm long and can weigh from 0.5-2kg. Along the dorsal line, there is a row of long spiny rays with sharp edges.

This special fish can be cooked into various delicious dishes, such as sour hotpot, deep-fried, grilled with chili salt, and the most unique dish is braised longfin snakehead fish with fresh turmeric.

Currently, there are 2 types of fish available on the market, wild longfin snakehead fish and farmed longfin snakehead fish. The meat of wild longfin snakehead fish is firmer, fattier, and tastier than that of the farmed fish, so it is more expensive but increasingly rare. According to fishermen, to catch large wild longfin snakehead fish, they have to use nets or set traps in deep and swift river sections.

At Long Xuyen market (An Giang), grade 1 longfin snakehead fish (weighing 350g or more) is priced from 450,000 to 500,000 VND/kg. This special fish can be cooked into various delicious dishes, such as sour hotpot, deep-fried, grilled with chili salt, and the most unique dish is braised longfin snakehead fish with fresh turmeric.

On online markets, there are many addresses selling retail and wholesale longfin snakehead fish, 290,000 VND/kg for grade 4-6 fish and 350,000 VND/kg for grade 2-3 fish. Ms. Hoang Thi Lich – a seller of longfin snakehead fish on the online market, said that the fish she sells is bred in ponds without intermediaries, so it is both fresh and competitively priced. “This type of fish is regularly ordered by many restaurants and eateries in various provinces and cities. After being caught from the pond, I clean it and freeze it before sending it to customers. If the customer is nearby, I can pack it in foam boxes with ice to keep the fish fresh. On average, my family exports several tens of kilograms of longfin snakehead fish every day. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the fish consumption is slower than usual,” Ms. Lich said.

In recent years, thanks to the farming of longfin snakehead fish, many households have achieved considerable income. Mr. Le Cong Tien (born in 1985, from hamlet 7, Tho Vuc commune, Trieu Son district, Thanh Hoa province) traveled to An Giang and Can Tho to learn about the farming methods of this fish species for almost a year. By the end of 2010, he built a fish farming model with a budget of over 1 billion VND.

According to Mr. Tien, longfin snakehead fish in commercial farming is harvested within 6-8 months in the summer, with a weight of 250-500g/fish, and it takes 8-9 months to harvest in the winter. Each year, he sells about 52 tons of fish meat to the market.

Longfin snakehead fish is easy to farm, bringing in high income, as long as water quality and temperature in the ponds are guaranteed. However, the quality of fingerlings released into the ponds is crucial. Ideally, when stocking, the fingerlings should be around 300-500 fish/kg.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Tien often sold his fish to the market at the price of 500,000-600,000 VND/kg, but now the price has dropped to about 400,000 VND/kg. With over 2 million fish fingerlings and 52 tons of fish meat sold to the market, after deducting the expenses, he earns nearly 600 million VND/year.