The Origin of the Pangasius.
Pangasius belongs to the family of catfish living in the Mekong river and its estuaries in Vietnam. There are two members of these family that started the aquaculture success that is Pangasius hypophthalmus (Tra) and Pangasius bocourti (Basa).
In the year 2006, 60,000 metric tons was produced in the fish farms of the Mekong Delta and by 2010 over one million tons was produced. The fish is distributed already into 65 markets of the world and it is also one of the most successful white fish species of all times.
Pangasius are native of Mekong River as it had been earlier said but travel down the streams of Thailand, India and China. They are migrant fish going up the river when ready to spawn and travelling down the river as juveniles. They like warm water and the wet season that last in Mekong delta from March until late October each year.
The best most spectacular family member from the Mekong is Pangasius gigas, that is the giant catfish, that can grow up to 3metres and a weight of 150-200Kg, with the largest catch on record being a female 2.7metres long and weighing 293Kg.
There are others belonging to the same family who have become very famous nowadays for they started the aquaculture success in Vietnam, the Pangasius hypophthalmus, called “Tra” in Vietnamese and the Pangasius bocourti called “Baga”.
Some 15 years ago, a group of French Biologists visited Vietnam to research and classify the Pangasius in the Mekong river. Up till then, the species was mostly unknown and the French took the challenge to change this situation; and in doing so, they changed the world of Pangasius.
Together with the Ang. Giang fisheries Company (today called “Agifish”) in the main river where Pangasius lived; they cross-bred some of the Pangasius stocks to develop a farmed animal that can be fed and reared and produced in a hatchery.
Pangasius lives in two main streams of the Mekong Delta, that is called “ Cuu Long” by the Vietnames the “ Nine months of the Dragon”.
They are the river Tien in the Northern part of the Delta and even more important for the Pangasius aquaculture of today – the river Hau that runs from the Cambodian border south through the region of AU Giang to reach the sea. Here the Pangasius can be found living in the wild and the French scientists classified and developed two species of them for farming.
The first they researched into was the Pangasius bocourti also called “Basa” by the Vietnamese. This fish needs 12 months to grow to market size of about 2Kg of weight and gives a white fillet meat of high fat content.
The French built River Cage and put the fish into this to be fattened by a mixed food of rice bran and small river catches. Up to the juveniles necessary for these cages had to be caught from the wild. The Pangasius bocourti became an immediate success; also as an export fish.
But the real breakthrough for the Pangasius aquaculture in the Mekong Delta came when Pangaius hypophthalmus Vietnamese “ Tra” could be developed for farming.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PANGASIUS IN NIGERIA AQUACULTURE.Pangasius hypophthalmus fries were imported into Nigeria two and the half years ago, under license from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, as a consequence of the felt needs to diversify Nigeria’s aquaculture breeds, and to ensure that such breeds like Pangasius which are not carnivorous; are disease-free; can thrive on 100% plant foods especially rice bran and soya bean cakes. The whole idea is to ensure that Nigerian consumers have access to other fish species apart from Clarias species, others are;
- It is the only white catfish in the world and this makes it an acceptable fish in the world market.
- Adult Pangasius can reach up to 3metres in length and weigh up to a maximum of 44kg.
- The table size can weigh up to 2kg in 6 months.
- They prefer large water body with shallow depth.
- Pangasius catfish are a freshwater fish that natively live in a tropical climate and prefer water with temperature between 22-26oC.
- They feed mostly from the ground, have no teeth, in the wild they are omnivorous and diet consists of Crustaceans other fish and plant matters.
- It is fast-growing – it needs only 6 months to reach its weight of 2Kg.
- The fish is very robust.
- Need no high Oxygen level in water unlike Tilapia.
- Low protein feed content compared to Clarias.
- It is succulent and palatable.
- They do not cannibalize.
Polyculture can be done with Pangasius.
- Pangasius hypophthalmus and Tilapia
- Pangasius hypophthalmus and Clarias gariepinus
- Pangasius hypophthalmus, Tilapia and Clarias
All the above can be done together without any problem with good stocking density
Rearing
Conditions in which the Pangasius are reared:
Temperature – 25oc
pH – 7.2
Do – 5mg/L
Feeding
Coppens, Rannan, Royal feed from Akinsateru farms, and Vitafeed of different sizes are used in feeding them.
Behaviours of the fish
- They are sensitive to light
- They move in cyclic form
- They are bottom feeders but can be trained to eat at the surface
- They are easily agitated by sound
- They do not eat when you are close by the tank or pond side.
- When there is a change in temperature, they stop eating
- Stress from sorting, counting or weighing prevents them from eating for about three days.
Fingerlings production
Fries are imported and raised to fingerlings stage and then sold to farmers that are interested. The fingerlings are Oxygen packed in 25kg polythene bags with average of 250 pieces.
Juveniles are also packed the same way but quantity packed is about 150 pieces.
Fillet
Fish are harvested with dragnet from concrete tank or earthen pond or if it is in plastic tank, it will be drained.
The fish is transported live to the processing unit; make them unconscious by pouring ice on them, bled by gill cut after which they are filleted by hand.
There are different qualities and colours appearing in the Pangasius fillets resulting from the different farming or the processing situations.
The main colors of the fillet are:
- Ø White
- Ø Pink
- Ø Yellow
Opportunities in culturing the Pangasius.
The different colors have been separately processed in the past and nowadays often mixed qualities and colors can be found in the containers. The trend goes to mixing these colors – but some of them like the deep yellow fish are not suitable for the European market and can be only sold in Asian or Eastern markets like Russia. So it is always important to have a clear understanding of the market so that one will know what to produce.
The colors of the fish will disappear in the next future for they result from farming or slaughtering mistakes. The yellow comes mostly from lack of Oxygen in the water and the pink comes from lack of bleeding the fish. So there will be whiter or light pink in the future of Pangasius hypophthalmus.
The fish fillets are then trimmed and plate frozen packed in polybags or block frozen and packed in cartons then transported to our clients.
Frozen Pangasius
The fish are harvested gutted, properly washed then packed in the freezer 24 hours and then stored in a chest freezer for the next supply. We always maintain the cold chain to the end user.
Iced Pangasius
The fish are bled, properly washed put in a cooler with ice placed on it. We transport immediately.
Smoked Pangasius
The fish are dragged, properly bled, and drained. Then soaked in salt and EU approved flavour for 15 minutes. The flavoured fish are then set on the tray and then transferred into the smoking kiln at the temperature of 120oc – 150oc for 24 hours.
good article. As a fish farmer how do i get fingerlings to buy? or brood stock. thanks
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