Vietnam fish exports booming

Vietnam's five year old fish export industry has doubled in size in the past two years ministry officials have said.

According to a report from 's Nhan Dan, Deputy Fisheries Minister Nguyen Thi Hong Minh said the ornamental fish industry turned over 5.7 million in 2004 compared to around 3 million in 2002.

Nhan Dan says that the bulk of the industry is centred around Ho Chi Minh city which is home to over 100 aquatic shops and many clubs which include around 200 breeders who produce 15-17 million fish of various types.

Other parts of Vietnam are also seeing a growth in the industry, with Hanoi, Haiphong, Da Nang, Nha Trang and Vung Tau all boasting specialists involved in the trade.

Nguyen Van Lang, head of Ho Chi Minh City's Ornamental Fish Club, told Nhan Dan that Vietnamese aquarium fish were sought after for their diversity and colour and said that the local water, and abundance of food in canals, made it a great location for producing fish commercially.

The Fisheries Ministry and Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee want to get export revenues to around 5.7 million by 2010.

Interesting ImportsImports from Vietnam, Myanmar and India have increased significantly in the UK over the past few years and a wide range of new species that were not previously available have entered the hobby.

Indeed, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) said the EU was 's biggest importer, and it accounted for more than half of all fish exported from the country.

Many of these species have been covered in Practical Fishkeeping's Interesting Imports column, which looks at new, unusual or rarely seen fish on sale in the UK's aquarium stores.