Denmark aids otter clam farms in Vietnam

Denmark funded US$ 6 million in an aquaculture project to introduce a new trade, otter clam breeding, to fishermen working in Quang Ninh province.
      Otter clam breeding was introduced as part of the five-year aqua-culture project, Support to Brackish Water and Marine Aqua-culture (SUMA), which was funded and launched by the Danish Government in 2000. The project started off in June 2003, where two fishermen in Ban Sen Commune were given 20,000 baby otter clams and technical assistance from the project staff.
      The country began raising otter clams after a study conducted in conjunction with the project discovered the mollusk’s high earning potential. This is partly because the otter clams eat algae available naturally in the sea so breeders do not have to invest money in feeding and caring for them.
      Vu Van Toan, representative chief of SUMA, stated that during the investigation, technicians had discovered many other types of mollusk with high economic value, in which the otter clams have proven best. Otter clams are becoming highly valuable as they gain popularity in special dishes, hence the demands for these mollusks by restaurants are increasing.
      SUMA hopes to create a new kind of aqua-culture industry that is suitable for farmers’ investment capabilities, particularly in poor community, allowing them to bring in high profits. At present, otter clams are bred only in two provinces in the country namely Quang Ninh and Hai Phong.
      The project will expand in the near future, where they have to provide sufficient supply of baby otter clams for breeders and production capabilities.

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