During a recent visit to Thai Binh Province in Vietnam, a group of USSEC consultants discussed their experiences of the USSEC FY15 demonstration projects and participated in the associated Farmers Field Day.

Prior to USSEC involvement in the area, farmers were exclusively using trash fish to feed their fish and were finding serious issues with poor water quality and disease. As a result of the work by USSEC, the farmers are now convinced that using high quality formulated feeds is the preferred approach for production of advanced juveniles.

At present, USSEC cannot continue to work with fish to market size, but Aquaculture Program Lead Technical Consultant – SEA Lukas Manomaitis, believes that USSEC can declare victory in the region over the first and most important stage for marine fish culture in ponds - fingerlings to advanced juveniles. The farmers’ new found expertise opens up possibilities for them to produce high quality fingerlings for other uses, such as offshore cage culture.