Grouper pond culture in Khanh Hoa, Vietnam.
Abstract In Vietnam, pond culture of marine finfish including mullet, milkfish and seabass has been developed since the 1960s (Dao, 1996) and significant expansion took place in the early 1990s with the appearance of a live fish market. Groupers (Epinephelus akaara, E. bleekeri, E. coioides, E. fuscoguttatus, E. malabaricus, E. merra and E. sexfasciatus) are currently among the major cultured species. There are approximately 500 ha of coastal pond culture of marine finfish in Vietnam producing more than 1,000 t of products, mainly groupers with a farm gate value of more than VND100 billion (more than US$7 million) in 2003. Khanh Hoa, a province in the south of central Vietnam with an area of 5,258 km2 and a population of approximately 1 million, is one of major localities producing groupers in ponds with a total estimated production of 100 t in 2003. This case study reviews the current status of pond culture of groupers, and identifies major technical, economic and social constraints to further development in Khanh Hoa province as well as elsewhere.