Fish farming does not have a long history in the country. A few farmers have traditionally caught wild fry of indigenous species for introduction into paddy fields or water impoundments. Some of these species have included tilapia and common carp. No management was applied other than to harvest fish before draining water from the paddy or impoundment.
Modern concepts of fish farming were introduced via the FAO/UNDP project LAO/82/014, “Rehabilitation of fish seed farms and fish culture development.” This project demonstrated the technical and economic viability of fry production, pond culture, integrated livestock fish farming and rice-cum-fish farming.
Twelve fish seed production centers were put into production and technicians and extension agents were trained. In addition to these twelve centers under the Dept. of Livestock and Fisheries, two private hatcheries are now in operation. Furthermore, many of the target farmers trained under LAO/89/003 sell fry of pond breeding species (common carp, tilapia and silver barb). A few are producing fry of Indian major carps and Chinese carps in simple pond based hatcheries (see below).
LAO/89/003 began the formation of an extension system in 10 districts (Annex 1). The project was able to extend fish culture to 401 target farmers and bring about 500 ha into production. The estimated aquaculture production in 1994 was 10,800 tons, mostly of indigenous species, which represents about 36% of total production. Given the problems of data collection, these figures should be considered only rough estimates.
Traditionally wild fry of tilapia, silver barb, and common carp are collected and stocked in paddy fields and crudely constructed ponds. No management measures are taken and the fish are harvested for home consumption and sale when the paddy field is drained.
LAO/82/014 introduced the culture of the Chinese carps known commonly as silver, bighead, and grass carps as well as several of the Indian major carps, namely rohu and mrigal. These fish do not breed naturally in ponds and must be induced to spawn in hatcheries. Controlled reproduction and fry rearing of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio, was also introduced as well as the fry and fingerling production of Oreochromis nilotica, the nile tilapia. This species is widespread in natural waters in the country and because of the ready availability of fry, is popular with fish farmers.
In collaboration with the International Development Research Council (IDRC) of Canada, the Livestock and Fisheries Division has tried to develop induced spawning and fry production of several highly valued indigenous species such as Probarbus jullieni and Cyrrhinus microlepis. Although results have been limited to date, further work on these species should produce valuable additions to the repertoire of cultured fish species in the country.
There is also very limited production of catfish fry of the genus Clarius, but its culture is not widespread. Although widely cultured in Thailand, it is not suitable for incorporation in the polyculture system as developed under LAO/89/003.
As previously mentioned, the anecdotal evidence indicates that the capture fisheries of the Mekong and its tributaries are declining. There are no reliable catch statistics, but rising prices and the scarcity of fish in urban markets tend to support this view.
On the other hand, the Livestock and Fisheries section estimates that aquaculture production increased from around 7000 T/annum to 10,000/annum as a direct result of the fish culture extension project. While these figures are approximations, it is clear from field observations that fish culture is rapidly expanding in all the project's target provinces.
Fish are sold in most urban market centers, although supplies often are quite limited. Comparative prices at 7 market centers are shown in Annex 2. The strong demand for indigenous species is clear from their high prices relative to alternative protein sources such as meat and poultry. Pond fish fetch relatively lower prices, but are very competitive with alternatives.
Marine fish imported from Thailand are common in all markets where access to Thailand by road is easy. The fish are transported iced and sold in the market on ice, in contrast to local fish which are not kept on ice. The role of imported fresh marine fish from Thailand is important in supplying lower cost product (see Annex 2). The common species are Rastrelliger kanagurta, Megalaspis coredyla and a small carangid, Selar boops. Decapterus spp. was also encountered. Live cockles, fresh and dried squid and fish are also imported.
Live fish, particularly air breathing catfishes of the genus Clarius, anabantids, snakehead (Channidae) and eels sell for premium prices. There might be possibilities for marketing of live pond fish, as is done in North Sumatra, Indonesia.
Unsold fresh fish are kept on ice and sold the following day at greatly reduced prices of 40 to 50% of the fresh fish price. Icing is inadequate and these fish are usually in poor condition. Fish which cannot be sold are converted to pa duk, a fermented fish product. The marketing chain is short. Women dominate the fish marketing system, acting as both brokers and retailers. Normally, the retailer buys direct from fishermen or fish farmers. The female members of fish farming families sell surpluses in the local markets. Marketing of capture fisheries from the Sipandon area of Champassak is somewhat different in that local middlemen sell to retailers and brokers from Pakse. Some fresh fish is imported from Cambodia as well.
Pond fish marketing operates differently from capture fisheries. There are 4 channels (Annex 3): home consumption, pond side sales, village sales and town market sales. Our field observations indicate that home consumption and pond side sales are the predominant channels. This means that in the short term at least, few cultured fishes will find their way to the town market. On the other hand, it is clear that fish culture improves local fish supplies and contributes significantly to improved protein nutrition. Pond fish sold at pond side or in the farmer's village generally are cheaper compared to the same species sold in town markets. This is also a very positive feature, considering the relatively lower purchasing power of villagers as compared to urban residents.
We found no evidence of money lending by brokers to producers as is common in other SE Asian countries. Not only does this reduce indebtedness among producers, but it also improves competition, ultimately benefitting the consumer.
Any aquaculture development program contemplated in the context of the current economic situation of the country must consider the constraints it will encounter. Among these can be listed low consumer purchasing power, poor road communication in many areas, limited availability of inputs and lack of trained personnel both in the public and private sectors.
Fish species requiring a high protein level in their diet are not suitable for fish culture on a large scale in LAO PDR. Such fish include catfishes of the genus Clarius, snakehead and freshwater prawns (see Annex 4 for a brief discussion of the problems of prawn culture in Lao PDR).
Species which feed on phytoplankton, zooplankton, detritus and naturally occurring bottom fauna are appropriate for fish farming in the country. The natural production of food for these fish species can be stimulated with inexpensive inputs such as cattle manure which are readily available in even remote rural areas. Suitable species are cyprinids commonly known as Chinese and Indian major carps, as well as some indigenous species belonging to the same family. A further advantage of these species is the simple hatchery technology used to produce fry and fingerlings.
Appropriate species mixes are combined in a polyculture system. Since each component species of the system utilizes a different trophic level, competition is minimized and the entire water column in the pond can be utilized. It is the most efficient protein production system known, able to achieve as much as 8 to 10 tons of fish per ha per year.
Culture-based fisheries can be developed in hydroelectric and irrigation reservoirs taking advantage of the feeding habits of these same species. Reservoirs also offer opportunities for the development of cage culture, particularly of tilapia.
