Official repeats ban on crawfish farming in Vietnam
An agriculture official reiterated that farming crawfish in Vietnam is banned after a company in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap was found to be raising the animal.
They are an omnivorous species which can damage paddies and affect local biodiversity. The MARD also determined that the animal does not bring considerable economic benefits.
Under MARD regulations, before any species is imported and farmed in Vietnam, their possible impacts on the environment and their economic benefits must be assessed, he noted.
Can called for people and businesses to comply with regulations and only raise allowed species.
Aquaculture experts said crawfish is also known as crayfish, crawdads, mudbugs, and red swamp crayfish. It is common in Louisiana in the US.
As the species is tolerant of environmental changes and can move out of their habitat, the risk of crawfish spreading is high. They can also carry the crawfish plague pathogen Aphanomyces astaci, white spot syndrome virus, and some parasites.
Although crawfish farming is popular in the US, Australia and other countries, the species is still regarded an invasive alien animal in Vietnam.
After being notified of crawfish in Tan Hoi Trung commune of Dong Thap’s Cao Lanh district, local authorities destroyed the animals