Agriculture Business Week

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

Ultimately, the Pangasius Catfish is a traveler. A migratory species, moving upstream of the Mekong from unknown rearing areas to reproduce in unidentified areas from May to July and returning to the mainstream when the river waters fall seeking rearing habitats in September until December.

Upstream migration occurs from October to February, with peak in November and December. This migration is set off by diminishing water and appears to be a dispersal migration following the lateral migration from swamped areas back into the Mekong at thee end of the flood season. Downstream migration takes place from May to August from Cambodia and further into the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.

Dr. Alma Palma. BFAR’s station Manager explained, “Pangasius was actually brought by the ornamental fish traders. It’s called a freshwater hammerhead shark. It was brought to National Event Fisheries Technology Center in Tanay where a part of the private sector wanted to culture it commercially in Laguna. We started to culture it there and at that time, there was no demand for its meat yet.”

Iridescent sharks originated from the large rivers Chao Phraya and Mekong in Asia, though they have been introduced into other rivers for aquaculture. They are a freshwater fish that natively live in a tropical climate and prefer water with a 6.5 – 7.5 pH, a water hardness Of 2.0 to 29.0 dGH, and a temperature range of 72 to 79°F (22 to 26C).

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Watch for aquaculture’s next big stars: Vannamei, Redclaw Crayfish, and Basa Catfish .

Philip Cruz of Cruz Aquaculture Corporation said that there is a rapid growth and favorable business opportunities with these three species during the recent Mindanao Food Congress held in Davao City.

“These three aquaculture species are available for culture with favorable farming traits such as efficient feed converters, labor and space saving, and can be cultured in variety of environment,” he said.

VANNAMEI OR WHITE SHRIMP
The development of White Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei), which is now the dominant shrimp species in Asia, presents a promise for the country’s aquaculture industry.

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