Use of wild fish and other aquatic organisms as feed in aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific 97
TABLE 13
Trash fish usage in some marine finfish farms in Indonesia, Malaysia and Viet Nam
Region No. of farms
Trash fish usage Trash fish cost (% recurring)
Quantity (kg/day) No. of farms % cost No. of farms*Indonesia 2010–20 2 <20 2
21–50 8 20–30 4
100–150 5 31–40 1
Unknown 5 41–50 5
51–60 2
61–70 2
>70 1
Unknown 3
Malaysia 2 Unknown 2 20–30 2Viet Nam (north)535–20 3 <20 2
10–20 5 20–30 1
10–25 4 31–40 3
20–30 6 41–50 20
20–40 5 51–60 17
20–50 4 61–70 2
Unknown 26 Unknown 8Viet Nam (central) 62 17 –38 ** 6231–40 30
51–60 20
61–70 12
*Expressed in percentage in the case of Viet Nam (north).
**There was considerable variation among farms based on the species cultured. Average use ranged from 17 to 38
kg/day, while in some farms, trash fish use of 80 to 200 kg/day was recorded
Source: Sim (2006)
Viet Nam
The case study in Viet Nam involved the survey of a total of 68 and 62 small-scale
mariculture farms in the north and central regions, respectively (Table 13). In the north,
53 of the 68 farms surveyed used trash fish/low-value fish as the main food source for
the stock, while in the central region all farms except those culturing penaeid shrimp
fed trash fish/low-value fish. Trash fish/low-value fish usage ranged from 2 to 65 kg
per day, and for most farms the feed cost accounted for 41 to 61 percent of the cost
of production (for approximately 73 percent of farmers; Table 13). The main species
cultured are brown-spotted grouper (Epinephelus chlorostigma), cobia, barramundi,
snapper and mud crab. In general, the farmers believed that the use of trash fish/low-
value fish was cheaper and that the stock performed better.
In central Viet Nam, the survey covered the districts of Van Ninh and Cam Ranh
of Khanh Hoa province, and Son Tra district of NhaTrang City (details are given in
Phan, 2007). Fish farming in these areas includes the culture of shrimp, marine finfish
(mainly groupers and barramundi, and to a lesser extent, Japanese amberjack), lobster
(Panulirus ornatus and P. homarus) and Babylon snail (Box 5). All the cultured stocks
except shrimp are fed only trash fish, which are generally considered to be of a quality
unsuited for direct human consumption, with the exception of Stolephorus spp., which
is relatively high-priced among trash fish/low-value fish. In most instances, the trash
fish/low-value fish are purchased daily, either directly at the landing sites or from
middlemen, there being a well-established market chain for this commodity in areas
where mariculture occurs.
China
China has a vast sea area with relatively rich fishery resources, and the fisheries sector
has grown since the 1980s. However, with increasing fishing pressure, marine fishery
resources have declined sharply, and fish production from aquaculture now exceeds
production from capture fisheries, contributing increasingly to the national gross
domestic product (GDP) (Figure 15). The catch of high-valued marine fish has dropped