Pakxong district in Champassak province will be a model zone for the first sturgeon and salmon breeding programme in Laos, which will be expanded to other provinces in the future.
The fish are being bred for both local consumption and export.
The project, which covers 10 hectares in the Thongkalong development area, is being carried out by the provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department with assistance from the Vietnamese government.
Department senior official Ms Khamfeng Heuangsisavath said this area has fairly cold water due to the cool climate there, as well as rivers, forests and plentiful natural resources.
The project began in September last year when the Vietnamese government provided 1,500 sturgeon and 2,500 salmon fingerlings.
After early setbacks there are now only 457 salmon, each weighing about 900-1,000 grams, and 300 sturgeon, weighing between 1,000 and 1,300 grams.
Some sturgeon fingerlings died in transit between Lam Dong province in Vietnam and Champassak, a journey of about 1,200km, and many salmon died as a result of tropical storm Ketsana, said Ms Khamfeng.
Since those events, however, the remaining fish have matured without any further problems.
“These two fish species are very difficult to raise. Only highly experienced fish experts can look after them,” she said.
“Our project was initiated and guided by experts from Vietnam. Lao fisheries technicians don't yet have enough experience to breed these fish.”
Vietnamese experts have confirmed that the Thongkalong area is suitable for breeding sturgeon as this fish can adapt well to its environment, Ms Khamfeng said.
However the area's suitability for salmon breeding is still under assessment as this fish species ideally needs a water temperature of 12 to 18 Celsius.
This project is important to the government because it wants to produce these fish for domestic consumption to reduce the need for imports from neighbouring countries, Ms Khamfeng said.
In the coming year the project plans to produce fish at Thongkalong and also in other provinces.
The project now needs more fisheries experts from abroad to train and advise Lao fisheries staff, especially provincial officials, on breeding techniques and other fundamentals.
The project also requires more funding and equipment.
At the end of this month the department will bring more sturgeon and salmon fingerlings and fish feed, provided by the Vietnamese government, from Lam Dong to Thongkalong, she said.
For the coming Lao New Year, a test has been proposed in which fish from the breeding projects in Laos and Vietnam will be cooked for government officials from both countries to determine whose fish tastes better.
