Application of artificial breeding technology for Pearl grouper

In recent years, grouper farming has brought a significant source of income to people in the province. However, the development of this profession still faces many difficulties, especially in terms of breeds. In order to help farmers proactively source quality breeds, contributing to the sustainable development of the farming profession, Khanh Hoa province has successfully implemented the project "Application of technology for artificial seed production of Pearl grouper".

Khanh Hoa has a coastline of nearly 500km, many wide bays and a temperate climate, very favorable for developing seafood farming. The province is one of the key localities for marine fish farming in the country with valuable specialties such as: Grouper, cobia, sea bass, yellowfin pomfret... In which, Pearl grouper is one of the popular commercial farming species thanks to its delicious meat, fast growth, high survival rate and high consumption demand. Therefore, this is one of the large-scale commercial farming species in the province.

Breeding grouper broodstock at Khanh Hoa Aquatic Products Investment Company Limited.

Ms. Hoang Thi Chau Long - Project Manager "Application of technology for artificial seed production of Pearl Grouper" said: Currently, Pearl Grouper is commonly raised in both ponds and cages, concentrated in major farming areas such as Van Ninh, Ninh Hoa, Nha Trang and Cam Ranh. However, the biggest limitation that prevents the farming of this fish from developing on a large scale is that the local seed source does not meet the needs of farmers, especially in the first stocking season of the year (from January to March). This forces farmers to import seed from foreign countries such as Taiwan, China, Indonesia..., increasing costs and reducing the quality of seed due to frequent travel. To meet the demand for Pearl Grouper seed for farmers in the province, Khanh Hoa Aquatic Products Investment Company Limited has successfully built a model applying technology for artificial seed production of Pearl Grouper. The model has contributed to increasing the number of locally produced fish fry, meeting the needs of farmers, opening up opportunities to develop the commercial farming of this fish species on a large scale.

According to Mr. Tran Van Thu - representative of Khanh Hoa Aquatic Products Investment Company Limited, Pearl grouper (a hybrid between male tiger grouper and female tiger grouper) is a potential farming species with high economic value, favored by the domestic market, especially China, Taiwan... The artificial breeding model is implemented at 3 facilities: Khanh Hoa Aquatic Products Investment Company Limited, Ha Van Chung Hatchery and TP Aqua Group Joint Stock Company. The farming methods include cement tanks and tarpaulin-lined ponds.

Producing Pearl Grouper fingerlings in cement tanks at Khanh Hoa Seafood Investment Company Limited.

The results showed that the survival rate of fish from the stage of fry to fingerling, from fingerling to fingerling and from 4-5cm fingerling to 7-9cm fingerling reached a high level, ranging from 82% to nearly 87% in the tank rearing models and 83% to 85% in the tarpaulin-lined pond model, the rearing time was shortened to 85 to 107 days. In total, the units produced more than 1.15 million Pearl Grouper fingerlings measuring 7-9cm, most of which were supplied to farmers in the province and some other localities. After 2.5 years of implementation, the project achieved a revenue of more than 15 billion VND, production costs of about 11 billion VND, and profits of more than 4 billion VND. This shows that the model has great potential when put into stable production.

In some localities, Pearl Grouper is raised by households in cages or ponds, tanks. After 8 to 10 months of raising (depending on the size of the fish), the fish can be harvested for meat, the commercial size of the fish ranges from 0.8 to over 1kg/fish. Pearl Grouper has a characteristic color of black and yellow stripes, firm, delicious meat, high nutritional value, and is favored by the market. Currently, the fish is mainly consumed in restaurants and hotels with prices ranging from 350,000 VND to over 500,000 VND/kg.

According to Mr. Truong Tan Hung - Vice Chairman of the Provincial Farmers' Association, the successful construction of the model of artificial seed production of Pearl grouper in Khanh Hoa not only contributes to stabilizing the seed source in the province, reducing dependence on imports but also creates jobs, increases income, and contributes to poverty reduction for farmers in coastal areas.

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Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/kinh-te/202507/ung-dung-cong-nghe-san-xuat-giong-nhan-tao-ca-mu-tran-chau-e7553d7/