Record Details
Value Chain of Snakehead Fish in the Lower Mekong Basin of Cambodia and Vietnam
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Value Chain of Snakehead Fish in the Lower Mekong Basin of Cambodia and Vietnam |
| Names |
Sinh, Le Xuan
(creator) Navy, Hap (creator) Pomeroy, Robert S. (creator) |
| Date Issued | 2012 (iso8601) |
| Note | This is part of the IIFET Special Session on Markets and Value Chains for Small Aquaculture & Fisheries Enterprises with a Focus on Gender that took place on 17 July 2012 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania in conjunction with 16th IIFET Conference. The complete proceedings of this special session are available (http://aquafishcrsp.oregonstate.edu/Documents/Uploads/FileManager/IIFET%202012%20CRSP%20Session%20Proceedings%20Final_small.pdf) through the Aquaculture & Fisheries Collaborative Research Support Program gender web site, (http://aquafishcrsp.oregonstate.edu/Gender/). |
| Abstract | Capture fisheries and aquaculture in freshwater bodies play a very important role and is considered to have great potential for augmenting fish production as well as diversification of livelihoods in both Cambodia and Vietnam. In Cambodia, inland fisheries remain primary importance in the fisheries sector, while aquaculture is more important in Vietnam. Snakeheads are the most preferred fish species for food in both countries, and are consumped in both fresh and processed forms in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB). However, the rapid development of snakehead aquaculture in Vietnam and Cambodia has led to economically unstable conditions. There has been limited research conducted on snakeheads, especially the marketing of this group of fish species. So far, market channels as well as value chains of giant snakeheads and common snakeheads have not been studied. This study was conducted from September 2010 to September 2011, and focused on two value chains: (i) captured snakeheads in Cambodia, and (ii) cultured snakeheads in Vietnam. In each country, five provinces and cities were selected for data collection. The farming systems of snakeheads have emerged spontaneously and mainly use live feed that cause environmental pollution and the depletion of natural aquatic resources in freshwater. The price of commercial snakeheads is not stable because it is strongly affected by the seasonal supply of wild captured fish as well as seasonality in snakehead farming. They are primarily used for domestic consumption. The important actors involved in the value chain of snakeheads in the LMB of Cambodia and Vietnam were fishers, fish farmers, wholesalers, retailers, and processors. Two supportive groups also involved in these chains were market managers and sector officers. The value chain of wild captured snakeheads in Cambodia was focused on eleven marketing channels, of which the most important ones were: (1) “Fishers -> Wholesalers -> Retailers -> Consumers”; and (2) “Fishers -> Wholesalers -> Wholesalers in Phnom Penh city”. The distribution of benefits among the chain actors in Cambodia was unequal, with the highest proportion of profit going to wholesalers. The two most important channels among ten marketing channels of cultured snakeheads in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam were: (1) "Farmers -> Collectors -> Retailers -> Consumers in the Mekong Delta"; and (2) "Farmers -> Collectors -> Wholesalers in Ho Chi Minh city”. Both benefits and costs were also distributed unequal between the chain actors while the highest profit taken by collectors. In order to develop the value chain of snakehead for the long-term in the LMB, appropriate plans must be prepared for each country in association with better management and protection of natural aquatic resources. The action plans must be done with collaboration of community, government, NGOs, and functional organizations at regional and local level. More technical trainings on fish farming and processing and conservation should be provided. The supply and use of pellet feeds for cultured snakeheads need to be improved. Possibility of obtaining profits must be ensured for all snakehead chain actors by accessing to price setting and market information. Live and processed products from snakeheads should be promoted to high quality-oriented products in association with the organization and management of production by policies for further development of markets, especially export markets. |
| Genre | Presentation |
| Access Condition | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ |
| Topic | Fisheries Economics |
| Identifier | Sinh, L.X., H. Navy & R.S. Pomeroy. 2013. Value Chain of Snakehead Fish in the Lower Mekong Basin of Cambodia and Vietnam. In: Visible Possibilities: The Economics of Sustainable Fisheries, Aquaculture and Seafood Trade: Proceedings of the Sixteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, July 16-20, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Edited by Ann L. Shriver. International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET), Corvallis, 2012. |
