Agriculture Business Week

Learn the basics of aquaculture’s wonder creature, the Pangasius.

Pangasius also acquired pet names like iridescent shark, Siamese shark or Psutchi catfish, but despite its name, iridescent shark is not a shark, but a catfish. This fish is also associated with the aquarium hobby or as swai or striped catfish in the food fish market, or as panga (though this name should be rather used for Pterogymnus laniarius).

They are found in Southeast Asia in the Mekong basin as well as the Chao Phraya River, and are heavily cultivated for food there. It has also been presented into other river basins as a food source and is ordinary in the fish keeping hobby. It is named `iridescent’ for its glow or iridescence exhibited in juveniles.

In 2007 alone, the amount produced in the fish farms of the Mekong Delta will reach a million metric tons and it is expected that there will be more that would be reach until 2010. The fish is distributed already into 65 markets all over the world and one of the most successful whitefish species of all times and is probably only comparable to the seawater catches of Cod and Alaska Pollack. And certainly, the International Whitefish Convention, which meets in London this year is looking forward to more discussions about Pangasius.

The advantage of Pangasius
We interviewed three people on why they think people should look at Pangasius as Philippine agriculture/ aquaculture’s next saving grace: (A) Marid Agribusiness Digest Chairman Angelito Sarmiento, (B) Vitarich Corp’s Marketing Director Ricardo Manuel Sarmiento and (C) Aqualine Assistant Marketing Manager Imee Chun.

Why should Filipinos welcome Pangasius?
A: This is the specie that’s easy to take care, user-friendly. This is what Filipinos have been looking for.
B: We’re trying to make a new industry. It’s an alternative fish that can generate jobs and income for the farmers. It’s an exportable fish.
C: It is now the most sought-after fish in US and Europe, and there is still an increasing demand for it in the worldwide market. We are blessed that we can culture it here in the Philippines since we have plenty of freshwater.

What is its difference from other fish like tilapia and bangus? And from other catfish that we know?
A: It’s blunt, bigger that other catfish, it has a texture compared to tilapia. And it goes with any sauce.
B: When it comes to raising, it doesn’t die easily. It grows faster. In fact, you can stock more in one area. You don’t have to make extra land and farm, you can do more volume and harvest in one area.
C: The difference is how it is culture and its sturdiness compared to bangus and tilapia. Sturdiness is its capability to live with low dissolve oxygen level because this fish is an air breather. This fish can be cultured in brackish water with certain water parameters, but this fish is really cultured in freshwater and not saltwater.

What is its market and capital investment?
A: It’s for Asians and Caucasians. Unlike bangus, it’s for everyone. It’s an alternative for the backyard piggeries in Manila, actually.
B: Our initial market is the European -country which imports large volume of Pangasius fillet. The fingerlings costs around P3 – P3.50 for 2 cm. Larger ones are for P6 and up. There are bulk discounts for big orders. Total production cost is about 80%. Harvestable size should be 1 kilo and up to fillet it for export. Fillet is sold at about P220- P280 per kilo in the Philippine supermarkets.
C: The capital investment would depend on the stocking density and the area of culture. Feed and fingerling cost is almost 70% of-the total production. But with good quality fingerling and good management, a grower can hit market growing proficiency. The market would be local and international. Locally, we are developing and introducing the fish to the market by giving out seminars and trainings. For international market, we would want to tap the European market since it is a very big market for fillet exports. But we are not limiting it in Europe only, we would want to also look for the other countries that are also importing this fish.

What is its export market potential?
A: To lessen import and at the same time, earn plus points by exporting.
B: Biggest market is Europe, as well as US and Australia. We’d like to ship samples.
C: The market potential of Pangasius is very big since many countries are really net importers of this fish and Vietnam’s production is really increasing. These are just some of the factors why we think that there is a big potential in the international market and that this fish can help the aquatic industry grow when we would export fillets.

Physical Characteristics
Naturally, the Pangasius lives in the two main streams of the Mekong Delta, called Cuu Long and the Nine Mouths of the Dragon. They are the River Tien in the northern part of the Delta and the River Hau that runs from the Cambodian border South through the region of An Giang to reach the Sea.

All the Pangasius found living here in the Wild have been classified and developed by French scientists into two species for farming. The first fish they farmed was the Pangasius bocourti also called Basa by the Vietnamese. This fish needs 12 months to grow to market size of about 2 kilos of weight and gives a white fillet meat of high fat content.

Like most catfishes, Pangasius’ body is elongated and the tail is deeply forked. It has a cylindrical body and a dorsal portion that is grayish. Its stomach is whitish. They have large eyes and a small mouth. The body is silver to blue with a silver iridescence. The back is darker than the main body color. A slender, horizontal, white stripe extends from the base of the tail to the gill cover. The fins are light gray to transparent. The fins are dark grey or black.

Juveniles have a black stripe along the lateral line and a second black stripe below the lateral line. They have a black stripe along the lateral line and a second black stripe below the lateral line; they have a shiny, iridescent color that gives these fish their name . However, large adults are uniformly grey and lack the striping. Adults reach up to 130 cm (4 ft) in length and can weigh up to a maximum of 44.0 kg (97 lb).

Adult Pangasius choose large bodies of water similar to the deep waters of its native Mekong River Basin. Pangasius Catfish are a freshwater fish that natively live in a tropical climate and prefer water with a 22 to 26°C.

The Pangasius has a typical appearance with its black back and white belly, so it is the only White Catfish in the world. Under the chin the fish wears some fat storage in a skin sack. This fat-store has the same purpose like the fat layers under the back of the salmon. This fat is used to grow the eggs and the sperm before maturing.

In the wild, their omnivorous diet consists of crustaceans, other fish, and plant matter. Catfish feed mostly from the ground and have no teeth. They have small whiskers that can feel in the dark of the water small plants and animals that are swallowed then.

Dealing with Juveniles
Juvenile iridescent sharks are often sold as pets for home aquariums. Nonetheless, they are not easy to watch over and are not suggested for most home aquariums. Iridescent sharks are schooling fish that prefer to be kept in groups of 5 or more. Juveniles are initially omnivores but eventually turn herbivorous when they grow up.
Familiarized to living in rivers, they are very lively fish that have need of a lot of space. If strained, their first impulse is to run off, and such a blind sprint can result in injuries, especially in an aquarium setting. These attempts to escape may be terminated by the fish sinking to the bottom, where it may lie on its side or back until it recovers. They also have bad eyesight so they may swim into the glass of a tank and hurt themselves.

Numerous fish owners are unconscious of the massive size that an iridescent shark can attain. If given enough space and fed satisfactorily, an individual of this species can achieve 3 feet in length. In most home aquariums, the amount of space an iridescent shark has rigorously stunts its enlargement. Consequently, most iridescent sharks kept in home aquaria develop to only six to twelve inches in length. As a rule of thumb, an iridescent shark requires a minimum tank size of 150 cm (5 feet). Schools require even larger tanks.

The biggest challenge for the Vietnamese Pangasius farmers and the aquaculture industry in general was to grow their own juveniles. In Vietnam, all the areas that produce Pangasius today, that are An Giang (145,500 tons annually), Can Tho (93,000 tons), Dong Thap (81,500 tons), Vinh Long (35,000 tons), Soc Trang (15,000 tons) and Hau Giang (6,300 tons) in 2005, – can supply juveniles themselves from the hatchery now.

to be continued…