Let’s take a look at the method of raising giant catfish in cages. They have been raised for 8 years. Each one weighs more than 50 kilograms at Lam Chae Dam, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. Farmers in Ban Map Krat, Khok Krat Subdistrict, Khong Buri District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province have been experimenting with raising giant catfish in cages in the middle of the Lam Chae Dam for more than 8 years. The results were better than expected. The giant catfish grew to an estimated weight of no less than 50 kilograms. The fish cage belongs to Mr. Rungruang Yuankratok, aged 55, which floats in the middle of Lam Chae Dam, one of the four main dams in Nakhon Ratchasima Province. Most of the fish are raised for sale by raising Nile tilapia and red tilapia. He has also experimented by raising giant catfish in one cage, which is 6 x 7 meters wide and about 2.5 meters deep. Mr. Rungruang said that he got the Mekong catfish from a group of fishermen who came together to do activities to earn money for public welfare activi ties for the Ban Map Krat community. Some of the money was used to purchase rare fish species such as Mekong catfish, catfish, and snakehead fish to release into the dam in 2016. So he experimented by raising 8 Mekong catfish, about the size of a broom handle, in cages to see if they would grow and survive in the cages. He adjusted the cages to have aquatic plants that simulated their natural habitat as much as possible, and made the cages twice as strong. He also fed the fish normally, but shaped the food into large lumps so that the Mekong catfish could eat it easily. After 9 years, 7 of the fish survived. They are all healthy and growing well. Looking at them now, they should be as big as a 20-liter water bucket and about 1 meter long. They should weigh around 45-50 kilograms or more. This shows that raising Mekong catfish in cages in the Lam Chae Dam is possible. He thinks that the Mekong catfish released into the wild should have a good growth rate and be no smaller than the fish in the cages. Mr. Ayuwa t Anuttariyakul, Fisheries Officer of Khong Buri District, said that from the data on the growth of the Mekong Giant Catfish in the area, it was found that the Mekong Giant Catfish in natural water sources can grow approximately 5 kilograms per year. The size of the Mekong Giant Catfish in the experimental cages is considered very good. This shows that the Lam Chae Dam has an environment and ecosystem that is suitable for the Mekong Giant Catfish to grow well. If anyone wants to raise Mekong Giant Catfish in cages, they still have to study the details about the cost-effectiveness of management and the duration of raising them again. Source: Thai News Agency
Menu