FAO Digital Media Hub - Laos. Fish farming activities

Laos. Fish farming activities

Fish farm. This farm was gradually converted from rice paddy to aquaculture over an eight-year period. Originally the farmer received training through a previous FAO aquaculture project. The ponds were diverted from rice paddies by digging deeper and raising the walls. Water is obtained by rainfall or from the canal. The farm has about 1.5 hectares of ponds which are 1.5 metres deep at the end pf the rainy season. They still become very shallow in the dry season, hampered by the prohibitive expense of a pump. - - LAO/97/007. This aquaculture development project is committed to working with farmer groups. The project is designed to advise on the potential for aquaculture in the different agro-climatic areas of Laos. Aquaculture techniques include: pond culture of fish; rice-fish culture; hatchery development. The following activities, which vary between provinces, have been conducted: surveys; workshops; training of farmers groups; improvement of fish hatcheries; and evaluation of extension activities.

There are a wide variety of agro-climatic zone in Laos defined by altitude, climate soil type and rainfall. Whilst there is plentiful rain during the monsoon, the dry season is severe and rice-fish culture in many areas is limited. During the dry season, water is confined to rivers and streams; ponds and standing rainfed water bodies dry up completely. During the rainy season, river levels rise and there is often flooding in many areas. The result is that fish are able to leave the rivers and streams and forage in low-lying submerged areas. A typical example during the rainy season is rice paddy fields, which can provide abundant aquatic life, an important source of nutrition to the population.

The method of increasing the amount of fish produced from rice fields is to directly stock fish fingerlings (rice-fish culture). Other changes are also necessary to ensure increase production, such as managing water levels and providing refuge areas by raising the walls of

Undated photo.

Credit © K. Pratt

File size 507.28 KB

Unique ID UF1ZKD

FAO. Editorial use only. Photo credit must be given.