The Khanh Hoa use these phrases, “Hon Noi bird’s nest, Ninh Hoa duck and Cam Binh lobster” to talk about the specialties of the coastal province. Cam Binh island commune is known as a hub for farmed lobsters on the South Central Coast.
From Nha Trang, driving on National Highway 1 for about 65km, visitors will arrive at Cam Ranh port and then take a canoe for about 10 minutes to Cam Binh commune. The island commune is famous for the signature lobsters that have a premium quality. According to the experienced farmers on the islands of Binh Hung and Binh Ba, the crystal clear water source with suitable salinity and temperature helps lobsters in Cam Binh grow quickly to reach their maximum weight and have tasty meat.
Lobster feed is put in net bags to let the lobsters eat and then are recovered to avoid water pollution.
Photo: Hoang Ha/VNP.
Chairman of the Cam Binh commune’s farmers association Lam Tuan Anh said that the total area for aquaculture of the commune is about 90ha. The two islands of Binh Hung with 58ha and Binh Ba with 30ha, are home to 496 floating rafts with 10,000 cages for raising lobsters.
Binh Ba island is a must-visit destination for tourists in Khanh Hoa province. On the wonderful island, visitors enjoy not only fresh air and beautiful scenery, but also because of the tasty dishes using fresh lobsters.
According to Bay Ho, a farmer on Binh Ba island, lobsters are sold at prices from 800,000 dong (35 US dollars) to 2 million dong (87 US dollars) per kg, depending on the different sizes and varieties. In recent years, the lobsters raised by his family have brought in nearly 300 million dong (13,000 US dollars) a year. This year with good prices, his family earned nearly 500 million dong (22,000 US dollars).
“To develop sustainable lobster farming, local authorities organize meetings to show people clearly that lobster raising is the main income to the locality. We also propose to agencies and sectors to plan farming areas as well as expand farming areas to guide farmers in operating effectively,” chairman of Cam Binh people’s committee, Nguyen An said.
Panoramic view of lobster farms in Cam Binh commune, Cam Ranh, Khanh Hoa province.
Photo: Hoang Ha/VNP
Lobsters farmed in Cam Binh are favored by customers in both domestic and foreign markets. Besides transporting them to inner localities and exporting to China, Cam Binh island commune uses nearly 100kg of lobster every day to serve to tourists.
