Survey of Cage Culture of Pangasius larnaudii along the Mun River, Ubol Ratchathanee Province

[Thailand, cage culture, catfish, pangasius]

Survey of cage culture of Pangasius larnaudii along the Mun River, Ubol Ratchathanee Province, was conducted during October 2001-April 2002 in order to gather information on cage culture of indigenous fish in Thailand. The result from the survey showed that cage culture of Pangasius larnaudii was practiced only in Ban Kumklang, Bungmai sub-district, Nan Kusawang, Nongkinplan sub-district and Ban Tapthai, Jaramae sub-district. There were 33 cages, which belonged to 24 owners. Most of the cage owners were primary fishers who fish along the Mun River and practiced cage culture as a substitute occupation. Two sizes of cage were used: 3x4x2 m or 3x6x2 m. The cost of cages was around Baht 8,000-10,000, and lasted for 2-5 years. In the past, fingerlings were collected from the Mun River during July-October. At present, however, fingerlings came from the government and private hatcheries in Ubol Ratchathanee, Srisaket and Nakon Sawan. From our interviews, fingerlings from the wild were more preferable on the market than those from hatcheries, though there was no significance in growth rate. The stocking rates were around 1,000-1,500 fingerlings/cage. B- products from the market such as chicken viscera were used as the main feed. The culture period was between 1-2 years. The harvest size was around 1-2 kg, and the market price was around 50-60 Baht/kg, reduced from 80-120 Baht/kg. The total investment was around 30,000-50,000 Baht/cage with a profit of 20,000-40,000 Baht/cage. The owners wanted the government to support improvement of culture technique and marketing. However, all of the cage owners still wanted to continue the cage culture of Pangasius larnaudii.

(Source: Pongsai Chansri, Suphun Khannumthieng and Naruepon Sukumasavin, Poster Presentation at MRC 5th Technical Symposium on Mekong Fisheries, 11-13 December 2002)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Survey of Cage Culture of Mekong Indigenous Fish Along the Mekong and Songkhram River, Nakorn Panom Province

[Thailand, cage culture, indigenous species]

Survey of cage culture of Mekong indigenous fish along the Mekong and Song Khram River, Nakorn Panom Province, was conducted during October 2001 to January 2002 in order to collect information on cage culture of indigenous fish in Thailand. The result from the survey showed that cage culture of Mekong indigenous fish was practiced in 5 districts: Ban Plang, Ta Utane, Sri Song Khram, Muang and Tad Panom. There were 191 cages of indigenous fish, which belonged to 34 owners in the Mekong River, and 83 cages, which belonged to 7 owners in the Song Khram River. The most common culture species were Pangasius bocourti, P. conchophilus, P. pleurotaenia, Mystus wyckioides and M. nemurus. Fingerlings were collected from the wild by the fishers or by the cage owners themselves. The price of fingerling was between Baht 2-5, depending on species and size. The stocking rate was around 200-400 fingerlings per m². The culture period for P. conchophilus, P. pleurotaenia and M. nemurus was around 8 months, and the market price was around 50-120 Baht/kg. For Pangasius bocourtii and Mystus wyckioides, the culture period was around 1-2 years, and the market price was around 50-150 Baht/kg. The market price varied, and depended on species and season. About 50% of the cage owners fed the fish with pellet mix with by-products from the market. Fish were normally sold at the culture site, rather than at the market. The constraints were the lack of fingerling and the uncontrolled fish price, which depended on the wild fish. Most of the cage owners also conducted cage culture of tilapia along with the indigenous fish because of the shorter culture period of tilapia.

(Source: Prangthip Prasertsuwan, Sombut Singsee and Charoen Udomkarn, Presentation at MRC 5th Technical Symposium on Mekong Fisheries, 11-13 December 2002)