Postharvest losses of fisheries in vietnam -An overview and some solutions

Abstract

This article aims to provide some information about the current status of postharvest practices in fisheries and aquaculture sectors of Vietnam. Although there has been an improvement in post-harvest technology for the last decade, the investment for the application of the advanced technology in this area is quite limited. Most fishing vessels use mainly crushed ice or salt for fish preservation in wooden storage cellars during catching trips usually for a long time. Plastic bags or unstandardized trays are the main containers for the catch. These preservation methods cause the rate of fishery postharvest losses as high as 20% at the present. Some major reasons of this situation are pointed out, such as conservative old practices, lack of incentive policy for the postharvest investment and a shortage of technological training for the fishmen and involved people. The paper also introduces some advanced techniques, including the use of standard insulated containers, CSW system or slurry ice, that can be applied for treatment and preservation of the catch in order to minimize the postharvest losses.