The current sturgeon farming technology in the world is based on temperate climate, in which water temperature ranges 20oC to 25oC. To adopt to Vietnam’s tropical climate, the farming technology, however, is adjusted in the raising system facitities, the nutrition and food for fish to cope with the climate’s differences. After a long time of researching and experimenting, we have found an ideal living environment for this cold water species, i.e: hydroelectric lake.
Strict implementation of the production procedure under the guidance and supervision of Russian sturgeon specialists also plays an important part in the Group’s success.
1. Successful breeding of fish fry
* After 7 years of researching and experimenting, in 2013, Vietnam Sturgeon Ltd Company’s hatchery successfully bred, hatched and reared larval and juvenile fish of Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii). This success was a result of strict execution of standards and rules in each step of the hatching procedure, including selecting and raising broodfish, tracking each individual using an electronic chip, creating a suitable hibernation place, stimulating spawning of broodfish, as well as monitoring incubation and rearing of fry.
* Wild sturgeons go through hibernation before spawning. Artificial hibernation places for farm raised sturgeons, however, don’t often meet the quality of the natural conditions and fail to stimulate spawning among farmed fish. As a result, spawning success remains low.
The procedure of growing fertilized eggs includes:
(1) Importing broodfish from the facility
(2) Screening the current stock of aldult fish
(3) Selecting prime broodfish from the current stock
(4) Fish Wintering
(5) Spawning and hatching
(6) Rearing fry till they weight 100gr each
(7) Export fingerlings to production facilities.
Hibernation and hatching require the most care and efforts from specialists. Consequently, success in hatching fry not only marks the Group’s achieverment in the sturgeon production process but also proves its capacity and proactiveness in the business.
2. The Viet G.A.P standard
* All production and farming processes at Vietnam sturgeon’s farms and facilities are monitored against the standards of Viet G.A.P, a private sector body that sets voluntary standards for the certification of production processes of agricultural (including aquaculture) products around the globe
* The Viet G.A.P standard is primarily designed to ressure consumers about how food is produced on the farm by minimizing detrimental enviromental impacts of farming operations, reducing the use of chemical inputs and ensuring a responsible approach to worker health and safety as well as animal welfare.
* In Vietnam’s sturgeon farms, cage systems are carefully arranged in cold water lake to take advantage of the natural enviroment’s conditions, yet strictly following the Viet G.A.P standard. Therefore, the Vietnam Sturgeon Group’s products always enjoy great quality that is equivalent to those caught in the wild while maintaining our commitments to environmental protection.
3. Sturgeon’s nutrition
Vietnam Sturgeon Group’s nutrition scheme for our farmed sturgeons are among the most advanced ones. Feed are customized to meet different nutritional demands of fish at different stages of their life cycle. Most prepared feed are imported from the world leader in the production and supply of feed for farmed fish, such as Skretting from France. In addition, earthworms and smaller live fish are used in feeding sturgeons in order to provide necessary nutrition for the fish and balance their diet. Russian specialists frequently monitor and change the composition of the feed as well as the quantity of supplements in feed to meet with the local climate conditions. This process differentiates Vietnam’s sturgeon feed from other prepared feed available in the market. Moreover, sturgeon speacialists adjust the fish’s diet according to their growth and health to best feed them.
4. Disease control
Disease prevention and treatment are based upon the entire farm’s fish health records since the fish are released into the lake. As a result, Vietnam Sturgeon Group has been successfully controlling common disease on sturgeons, including liver rot, fin rot or wounds, bacteria gill disease, etc.
Other factors that help Vietnam Sturgeon Group to improve the fish’s health include the use of medicine in treatment, especially antibacterials. We do not use medicine with no clear labels and/or origins.
5. Ultrasound screening
Russian specialist periodically conduct ultrasound examination to distinguish the sexes when the fish are biologically mature. This is a crucial step in determining the quantity and prices of caviar product – the strategic products of Vietnam Sturgeon Group.
