Activity 1: This activity includes (1) socio-economic assessment of the demand for euryhaline local fishes and of issues in the value chains; (2) Biological selection of candidate species; (3) Characterization of the genetic diversity of the selected species; (4) Establishment of optimal husbandry conditions: reproduction and induced spawning; (5) Establishment of optimal husbandry conditions: larval rearing; and (6) Establishment of optimal husbandry conditions: on growing to market size

Activity 2: This activity includes (1) Production cost assessment; (2) Market analysis; (3) Sensitivity and scenarios analysis; (4) Development of recommendations for specific target groups

Activity 3: This activity includes (1) Participatory Action-Research through tests in farms; (2) Knowledge exchange and liaison with extension services; (3) Communication strategy development; and (4) Dissemination of research results to users.

Activity 4: This activity includes (1) Ph.D. and MSc. supervision and training; (2) Promoting interdisciplinary knowledge exchanges; (3) Training on specific equipment and data analysis/specific training; and (4) Capitalization of lessons learnt and preparation of a manual

Overall objectives (expected impacts): The main overall objective is to contribute to the sustainability of the fish sector in Vietnam through better adaptation of fish farming. Thanks to the project, aquaculture will be better adapted to the growing and changing salinity, more diversified and therefore also less vulnerable to other risks (climate or market-related) and more economically viable. Strengthened sustainability and resilience of the fish sector will have positive socio-economic impacts in terms of fish consumption, employment and incomes.  It is also expected that higher adaptation of the aquaculture to salinity will mitigate water-related conflicts and safe water for other uses. Higher sustainability of farm fish production level should also mitigate the pressure on wild fish stocks (along with associated impacts on biodiversity and fuel consumption in fisheries). This is reflected in the attached theory of change. 

Specific objective (outcomes): Through those results the project will build and establish capacities or foundations for the sustainable and profitable development of the production of an euryhaline indigenous fish. In the light of current policies and existing or forecasted conditions at stakeholders’ level, it can be assumed that once achieved and combined, the results should indeed be sufficient to trigger and support next steps in the development of the expected value chain for the selected salt-tolerant species, following a theory of change to be detailed in the feasibility study.  

Expected results: to be produced by those activities consist of (1) availability of technical solutions on how to cost-effectively farm a local euryhaline fish meeting local demand; (2) availability of data, conclusions and recommendations in support to policies and decision-making for the development of the value chain of this species; (3) awareness and knowledge raising of producers and other key stakeholders on why and how to adapt fish production systems by adopting the euryhaline indigenous species (R3); and (4) increased capacities of Can Tho University (CTU) to conduct further research in the same field.