Experience in keeping more than 1,130 fish cages safe during storms and floods of Nam Tan (Nam Sach) farmers

Firmly reinforced

As of the morning of September 17, more than 1,130 fish cages on the river in Nam Tan commune, Nam Sach district were still safe, no cages were drifted, sunk, or broken, and not many fish died.

In 2015, Nam Tan commune had a cluster of about 100 fish cages that were swept away and broken by flood waters, so people here were on high alert.

Mr. Tran Van Duong in Quang Tan village, Nam Tan commune has 40 fish cages in strong water currents, but 100% of the cages are still safe. According to Mr. Duong, the most important thing is to reinforce and anchor the fish cages so that they do not drift when the water rises and the flood is strong. Notably, do not tie ropes at the top of the fish cages but tie them to the main frames in the middle of the fish cages.

Mr. Duong explained that if tied at the head of the fish cage, when the water flows strongly, the strong resistance can tear the fish cage apart from the cluster. The anchor rope must be spread evenly in all positions to spread the force. At the positions where the anchor rope passes through the fish cage frame, it must be tied and locked tightly to hold the fish cage in place.

According to the reporter's investigation, right from the construction and installation of the fish cage area, the people of Nam Tan commune carefully hired machines and divers to pour concrete piles under the riverbed to tie and connect the anchor ropes, fixing the position of the fish cages. The other end of the anchor rope was tied to a concrete pile buried about 2m deep in the riverbank or tied to a secure position.

Proactive prevention

During flood season, people here raise a small number of fish at moderate density and proactively harvest before the storm. Cages without fish are pulled up with nets to reduce resistance to the flow.

During the storm season, fish farmers place bags of soil or cans of soil at the top of the fish cage to hold it down and prevent the fish cage from floating up. Water flows over the net, restricting the space of the fish and causing them to collide with each other, leading to fraying and death.

Nam Tan Commune People's Committee and functional forces regularly inspect, guide, and directly support people to reinforce and protect fish cages; require cages that still raise fish to be covered with nets (a type of net with small mesh so that when feeding fish, the food is still retained in the fish cages), leaving only large mesh nets to hold the fish also helps to minimize damage.

According to the experience of farmers in Nam Tan commune, during the storm and flood season, it is necessary to regularly check the position of the fish cage head to see if there are any duckweed, trees, or objects stuck in the water flow. If there are, they must be scooped up immediately. If left to accumulate, it will block the water flow and compress and break the fish cage. When garbage is found stuck in the fish cage, it must be scooped up, not removed. Throwing it into the water will follow the water flow to the households behind.