Can Tho fish breeder hopes to develop tourism from rare fish

A fish breeder in the Mekong Delta province of Can Tho is attracting visitors to his farms thanks to his raising lots of rare fish.

Ly Van Bon feeds the fist at his farm in Can Tho Province

Graduated from the Nha Trang University of Marine Products, Ly Van Bon chose the Hau River in the Mekong Delta Province of Can Tho to start his business thanks to the convenient location and good water quality.

"I previously failed when investing in some kinds of fish before turning to the knifefish in 2012," Bon said. "I saw that the fish can be made into many popular dishes and they develop especially well in the water environment here.".

The knifefish at Bon's farm

Bon has invested in dozens of knifefish cages which produce at least 700 tonnes of the knifefish annually. He has also built processing factories that have made and introduced various products made from the fish for both the domestic and international market.

Besides gaining success with the knifefish raising business, the 54-year-old fisherman is also famous for successfully breeding and raising some rare kinds of fish that are facing extinction due to overexploitation such as the giant barb, tigerfish and isok barb.

The fisherman is always eager to introduce these fish to visitors who have come to his farms to enjoy the fresh air and some local specialities cooked from the fish.

"Each kind of fish needs different raising methods," he said. "I have to study their living habits to prepare suitable food for them or design their own cages.".

Bon introduces a rare fish that is being raised at his farm

According to Bon, many kinds of fish are seeing a sharp fall in number due to overfishing, so each time he successfully breeds a new batch of rare fish, he will release some into the Hau River, which he hopes will help restore the fish in the wild.

A tourist enjoy fish massage at the farm

Bon is a member of a local community tourism group and has served tourists from 2016. Visitors to his farms will have a chance to learn about some rare fish, enjoy fish massage and many dishes made from the fish.

"I hope that the Covid-19 pandemic will end soon so that we can receive visitors again," Bon said.

Source: Dtinews