At 7am, Dang Tran Tu Tram, 42, from the breeding department of Nha Trang Oceanography Institute, walked around to examine the sea creature area. She observed the creatures and meticulously took notes in a diary about the status of the electricity and water systems, aeration lines, and the water pump going to the water filter tanks, as well as the state of sea creatures in the tanks. If she noticed any problem, she recorded a solution.

There are 40 aquariums with hundreds of sea creatures at the oceanography institute, from sharks, turtles and lobsters to seals. They need different kinds of food.

Food must be thoroughly prepared and processed in different sizes that fit each species. When feeding the fish, Tram and her co-workers need to find which fish eat more or less. It’s necessary to discover why the fish eats less food to design a specific treatment regime for them.

In 2003, Tram graduated from Nha Trang University, majoring in aquaculture, and then worked for a seafood facility in Binh Thuan. Four years later, she returned to NhaTrang to work at the Nha Trang Oceanography Institute. Her major tasks are taking care of and raising fish.

Having 15 years of experience, Tram said she has a special impression about sharks, especially black reef (Carcharhinus melanopterus) and white reef sharks (Triaenodon obesus). Each of them has specific habits. The former swims continuously and eats food on the surface of the water, while the latter swims less.

The sharks’ pregnancy period lasts 12-13 months. Breeders need to know their reproductive characteristics to create suitable conditions for them to undergo the pregnancy.

Tram said she still remembers how she delivered a shark in childbirth several years ago. The shark lived with other members of the flock, so Tram and her co-workers feared that the young fish may be eaten by bigger sharks.

At 10pm, the mother fish went into labor. After a while, each fry with the weight of 500-600 grams was born. Tram and her team immediately picked the fry up and put them into a specific tank. Only when they saw the fish staying safe could they could sigh with relief.

Fry need to be taken care of carefully and fed with finely chopped fresh cuttlefish to familiarize them with eating dead creatures. After six months of breeding, each fish weighs 7-10 kilogram and 1 meter long. They are then put into the same tanks with other fish.

Tram takes care of other fish, such as Synanceia, seahorse (Hippocampus sp.), Branchiostegus japonicas and Diagramma pictum. Each has specific habits, so it’s necessary to keep close watch and design suitable diets for them.

For example, the pterois volitans is being bred in a glass tank, 1.5 meters long, 70cm high and 50cm large, with miniatures and algae and moss. The fish species has many colors and is called ‘the princess of the sea’. It’s simple to care for the fish, but the work requires care because it has a sharp dorsal fin that is toxic.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Truong Tai, 27, a co-worker, remembers the first time when he dove under water to feed and bathe them. He had been working for several months by that time, but he was not familiar with the work.

“I felt sick when coming closer to the fish because of the fishy smell. However, I became familiar with the work and I like my job,” Tai said.

Tai graduated from Nha Trang University and has been working there since then. Every day, he has to monitor the health conditions of fish, feed them and treat them if they are sick. Every time when receiving new fish, he learns the habits of the fish and puts them into specific tanks for easier care. Sometimes he wears scuba equipment and dives to clean the aquariums. Sometimes he performs with the fish to entertain visitors.

Tran Thuy Anh, 45, who has been taking care of sea creatures for 27 years, said everyone needs to have diligence, meticulousness and passion to be able to work there. They have to examine the water regime, clean the tanks, and clear waste and the feed residue to ensure a safe environment for the fish.

In addition to the care and domestication of sea creatures, the institute has succeeded in organizing artificial reproduction of sea creatures such as Pterapogon kauderni and Actinia equine. 

Xuan Ngoc

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