🐟 Travel Log: Mission to Pick Up Mekong Catfish and Koi Fry from ...

🐟 Travel Log: Mission to Pick Up Mekong Catfish and Koi Fry from the Trang Provincial Fisheries Office 🚗

Hello, my lovely friends!

One morning, starting with our warm daily routine in our garden home, while I was busy with housework and feeding our beloved parrot, my husband, relaxing at the dining table, exclaimed with a hint of regret, "Oh no! My phone reminded me to pick up the fish from the fisheries office!" This message had been sent a few days prior, perhaps on Friday, but he hadn't noticed it and had missed this important notification. "I didn't read it! What should we do?" he asked, his face showing a little worry.
I immediately stopped what I was doing, went to him, and gave him some urgent advice: Don't delay! Quickly message the Fisheries Department's group to let them know we would be coming to pick up the fish that same day. The urgency was because my husband had pre-ordered 100 Mekong catfish after seeing the Fisheries Department's post about the available fish species.
After my husband sent the message, I didn't hesitate to find the Fisheries Office's phone number. Upon successful contact, we received confirmation that relieved us all. "The Mekong giant catfish is still there," my husband immediately agreed. Without hesitation, we headed straight to the Trang Provincial Fisheries Office.

🛣️ To the Fisheries Office: Traces of the Floodwaters
The journey to our destination was filled with images of the countryside that had just recovered from the flood. Floodwaters still lingered along the roadsides, and some parts of the road were still covered in mud – a scene reflecting the abundance and challenges facing this area. Finally, we arrived at the Fisheries Office. Upon arrival, I didn't forget to show my kindness by buying energy drinks for the staff at the fish hatchery to encourage them in their work. After a friendly greeting, they quickly began preparing the fish fry for us.

Starting with carefully packing the fish fry into bags, filling them with water, and adding oxygen, the entire process didn't take long.
In addition to the Mekong giant catfish we intended to buy, the office also had koi fish for sale today. So we took the opportunity to walk over to the koi breeding pond to buy some more. In short, we took home two types of fish fry today, and the price was especially impressive.
Mekong giant catfish: Very cheap, only 5 baht per fish.
Koi fish: Small and beautiful, only 3 baht per fish.
After receiving the fish and making the payment, the Department of Fisheries issued us a receipt as proof. We then hurried back to our garden home to release these beloved fish fry into the water source in our garden.

🏡 Acclimatizing and Releasing Fish into the Wild (A Crucial Step)

As soon as we arrive at the farmhouse, the most important task begins: acclimatizing the young fish before releasing them into the river. This allows the tired fish, having just traveled a long distance, to safely adapt to the new temperature and water conditions, minimizing the risk of shock.

🌡️ Water and Temperature Acclimation Process:
Temperature Acclimation: Begin by immersing the bag containing the fish fry in the body of water where they will be released. Arrange the bag so that it floats on the surface. This step is very important to ensure that the water temperature inside the bag matches the water in the pond or river outside. This takes approximately 15-20 minutes.
Water Conditioning: After acclimation, carefully open the top of the bag to allow fresh air from outside to enter. Then, gradually add water from the body of water to the bag little by little (approximately 1 cup every 5-10 minutes) to allow the fish fry to come into contact with and acclimate to the chemical composition of the new water, especially the pH and hardness.
While waiting for the fish to acclimatize...

Without wasting any time, I walked into the garden house to feed the ducks and chickens, taking photos along the way. Then I went to the waterside pavilion to feed the old fish I kept, gazing at the sky as thick clouds began to gather, alternating with bright sunshine. I had a feeling it would rain soon.

⛈️ A tense moment before the rain: Releasing the fish just in time. As I was walking from the garden house to the car to prepare to release the fish, as expected, heavy raindrops began to fall. My husband quickly shouted for me to hurry up and release the fish, saying it was going to rain.

We both hurriedly added water to the fish bags little by little, following the acclimatization procedure we had previously performed. Then, we gently released the baby catfish and carp from all the bags into the pond until all the fish had successfully swum off to their new homes.
Our mission wasn't over yet. We helped collect the fish bags, drained them dry, and reused them as garbage bags. It's a simple yet useful way to manage resources environmentally consciously.
Today was another day filled with joy, excitement, and satisfaction from successfully completing the important task of revitalizing the water source in our garden. I will end my story of today's journey here.