Agriculture Business Week

There was a time here in Ilocos Sur when the freshwater fish called Ludong was considered as an ordinary fish. Anytime of the day, ludong was caught by fishermen either by their hook and line or fishnets. In the afternoon, fish vendors would be shouting “Ludong, Ludong” just like how they market their tilapia nowadays. Ludong is a kind of fish found in Cagayan River and its tributaries and also in Abra River in the province of Abra that flows up to the towns of Santa, Bantay and Caoayan in Ilocos Sur province. Ludong is called Lobed River Mullet in English and Centraeus plicatilis in science. It resembles milk-fish (bangus) but with lesser fishbone. Its meat is white and fatty when cooked.

But because of the continuous illegal fishing, illegal logging and pollution from the wastes coming from the mining companies, slowly, the water of the rivers that serve as their habitat became dirty. Maybe that is the main reason for the possible extinction of the said fish. Based on the record of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Regional Field Office I, Ludong was last caught in the town of Caoayan, in 2004. That means, it is already five years since a Ludong appeared in Abra River on the part of Ilocos Sur. Other kinds of fishes which also became rare include Pigok (Tapiroid grunter), Lumitog (Bluespot Grey Mullet), different kinds of Gobi (locally known as Palileng, Birot, Bunog and Bukto) and other endemic fishes which were plentiful here before.

Based also on BFAR, RFO I records, a kilo of Ludong in Ilocos Sur now costs P2,000 while it is already a whooping P4,500 in Cagayan. A kilo of Pigok costs P600 in Ilocos Sur; P800 in Misamis Oriental; P1,500 in CARAGA while there are no more stocks in Region 12. In Abra, a kilo of Gobi can be bought at farmgate price of P550-P600. The state of Ludong and other fishes is really alarming that it is possible that the next generation will no longer taste these delicious fishes and will only see them in pictures if extinct because of the unstoppable pollution and destruction of their habitat.
(more…)

Rice farmers can earn extra money by doing fish-farming in their ricefields.

Instead of fishing in rivers, they may opt to convert the lower portion of their ricefields into fishponds like what a farmer in Alicia, Isabela did.

Roberto Navarro of Barangay Paddad does this so-called rice-fish technology by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). He says that profit from his 1,700 square meter tilapia fishpond that used to be a mud pit is equivalent to an income from a 7,000 sq. m. rice land.

That’s because the stocks of this rice-fish technology demonstration cooperator of the BFAR Region II have reached 4 to 3 pieces a kilo. In fact some have weighed even half a kilo. At an average harvest weight of 250 grams, potential production is 1,806.25 kilos. This is worth a net income of P74,232 at A farmgate price of P70 per kilo.

(more…)

The Philippine fisheries industry consists of the marine fishing, inland fishing and aquaculture sub-sectors. Marine fishing is the catching or harvesting of seawater fishes, invertebrates, and plants of economic importance like the galunggong, halaan, and Sargassum. Inland fishing, on one hand, is the. exploitation of aquatic plants and animals in brackishwater and freshwater areas like rivers, lakes, and Other wetlands. Aquaculture, on the other hand, is the culture or farming of marine brackishwater and freshwater species like the milkfish, tilapia, oysters, and seaweeds.

Our fisheries provide livelihood and income directly to more than a million fisherfolk and fishfarmers, and indirectly to millions of other people. With a contribution of about 5 percent to the country’s gross domestic product, fish and other fishery products supply the bulk of the animal protein in the diet of our more than 90 million population.

The excessive accumulation of carbon dioxide and other so-called “greenhouse gases” in the atmosphere mainly from industrial and agricultural activities has markedly increased the average temperature of the earth’s surface. Such a phenomenon has resulted in global warming or climate change that has brought about extreme climatic events as prolonged droughts (El Ninos), devastating typhoons, and catastrophic floods in many regions of the world including our country.

(more…)

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Regional Office No. 2 has started the provision of rehabilitation assistance for fisherfolk in Cagayan Valley affected by the recent super typhoon ‘Pepeng.’

As outlined in its rehab plan, the bureau will provide a total of 5.8 million fingerlings for some 2,787 fish farmers affected by the calamity.

BFAR Region 2 Disaster Action Officer and Assistant Regional Director Severina Bueno said that the fisheries agency had already served municipalities that have submitted their master list of affected fisherfolk. The ARD is calling on the rest of the municipalities to submit said document as soon as possible as it serves as basis and reference in releasing assistance.

(more…)

A top marketing expert for ornamental fishes explains how the international export protocols work.

Ferdinand P. Cruz, consultant of the East Asia Seas and Terrestrial Initiative, understands the world ornamental fishes market like the back of his hand. He could casually enumerate fish species, rattle off figures, explain the science behind a fish farming practice and share interesting anecdotes about the international tropical fish market very much like the men who have been in the business for a long time. And he certainly has. A former coordinator of the International Marine Alliance Indonesia Project, this Ateneoeducated fish expert was one of the first live fish exporters in the Philippines to promote net capture of aquarium fish as an alternative to cyanide.

Today, most of Cruz’s time is spent in teaching the members of the Tanauan Ornamental Pisces Growers Multipurpose Cooperative and its partner and consolidator, Yoreca Farms, Inc., to grow tropical ornamental fishes that would pass the very stringent US and European markets. As a consultant working for the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), he has created the model set-up for a team that could open the doors for the vast and immense global ornamental fishes market. More than transferring technical knowledge, however, the amiable Cruz says he is also firming up the whole team to do business the professional way.

(more…)

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

It was during the first four months of 2006 that progress in farmed Pangasius production in Vietnam along with buoyant international whitefish demand took a significant increase in export volumes. Compared to January-April 2005, Vietnamese volume exports of Pangasius jumped by over 150% to 83,000 tones while the value of exports raised by 140% to $200 million, according to Vietnamese trade figures. 2005 in total amounted to 141,000 tones in export worth $328 million.

The increases during the past year mark acceleration in the upward trend in Vietnamese exports which has been obvious over the past five years. They are also a confirmation of the mounting role of Pangasius products in international whitefish markets, which is reflected ,in increasing penetration among European retail chains.

(more…)

Fishpond Management

A. Pond Preparation. Prepare the ponds a month before stocking fish in the following manner:

Draining and drying. Drain and dry the pond completely. Dry for about a week or more, depending upon the weather, until the bottom cracks or harden sufficiently to support a man on his feet without sinking more than 1 cm. Make sure the pond soil is dried every time the pond is harvested. Periodic drying stabilize soil colloids and oxidizes organic matters that encourage the growth of natural fish foods. Draining and drying eradicate competitor fishes and predators, and kill disease-causing organisms.

Cultivation of pond bottom. Till or cultivate the pond bottom as soon as it is drained. Do this by stirring or cultivating with a shovel or a rake for small ponds. For large ponds, use a rotavator. Cultivation makes sub-surface nutrients available at the surface for the growth of fish food in the pond, eradicate burrowing predators like mudfish and eliminate undesirable pond weeds like “aragan.”

(more…)

Fish Stocking and Stocking Rate
Stock fish either early in the morning or late in the afternoon when the water is relatively cool. Acclimatize the fingerlings before stocking them. To do this, float bags of fingerlings in water where the fish is to be stocked, thereby allowing the water on the bags to float on the pond for 30 minutes. Determine the water temperature of both bag and pond waters with a thermometer. A difference of more than 30°C may cause eventual death of stock. Open the bags and introduce water gradually from the pond to the plastic bags until the temperature is almost the same. Let the fingerlings get out freely from the bags.

The number of fingerlings to be stocked in a cage varies from 10 – 15 pieces per cu m to reach a size of 100g each in 150 days without supplementary feeding during summer months. Use the same density at the start of the rainy months up to early part of summer. However, the growth rate is lower during rainy months because the water is cooler and there is little presence of natural food in the water.

Management in Cages
Tilapia in cages require minimal care and maintenance. Aside from occasional intrusion of predators, mechanical damage to the net screen and poaching, no serious problem can be expected.

(more…)

Tilapia are sometimes known as “aquatic chicken”, due to their high growth rates, adaptability to a wide range of environmental conditions, ability to grow and reproduce in captivity and feed on low trophic levels. As a result, these fishes have become excellent candidates for aquaculture, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. Indeed, tilapia culture has been expanding rapidly, and is now practiced in more than one hundred countries worldwide.

Tilapia cage culture is growing tilapia in cages made of nylon nettings and bamboo frames that are floated, submerged or fixed at the bottom. It utilizes bodies of water such as dams, rivers, lakes, bays, reservoirs and coves. This is one of the effective technologies used in raising tilapia. It started out in 1974 in Sampaloc Lake and Laguna Bay and being practiced now in different regions like in Magat Dam Reservoir in Region II.

The following are the advantages of tilapia cage culture:

• easier handling, inventory and harvesting of fish
• better control of fish population
• efficient control of fish competitors and predators
• effective use of fish feeds
• reduced mortality
• high stocking rate
• total harvesting and swift or immediate return of investment
• less manpower requirement
• minimum supervision

(more…)

Manila, Philippines – Research continues to brighten the horizons of Pangasius fish in the country.

Pangasius (scientific name: Pangasianodan hypophthalmus) is a tasty, soft-fleshed freshwater fish introduced in the Philippines years back from Vietnam initially as an ornamental fish.

Subsequently, its food qualities became more appreciated. Now, it is known for its fish fillet and whole meat value.

Over the past few years, research has unraveled the potentials of this fish known by several names: Mekong kanduli, Mekong River catfish, Swai catfish, Basa fish, and Cream Dory.

(more…)

Even small fishes are a great catch.

Proof to this is the tilanggit, the undersized tilapia that is being processed similar to danggit, or dried rabbit fish of Cebu. Tilanggit production is seen today as a promising livelihood, and three farmers’ association in Diffun, Quirino have found it viable.

The Diffun Farmers Livelihood Association (DFLA), Palacian Food Processors Association, and the Villa Pagaduan Multi-Livelihood Association are pleased with this venture. They are able to make money from undersized tilapia, which resulted from calamities or poor culture management.

“Processing undersized tilapia into tilanggit offers fish farmers a great way to recover investment on a losing venture.” said Dr. Jovita Ayson, director of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region 2.

(more…)

Instead of becoming victims of climate change, the country’s fisherfolk can adapt to this unwanted phenomenon even to their own advantage.

This is the objective behind the many technologies that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will showcase in the forthcoming Agrilink, Foodlink and Aqualink, the country’s biggest and most prestigious annual international trade show on agribusiness, food and aquaculture.

BFAR Director Malcolm Sarmiento said his agency, with the help of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and the Department of Agriculture, was embarking on a campaign that would educate the public on how to take advantage of climate change.

(more…)

The 45-day delayed feeding, a technique for saving on feed cost, can be practiced in polyculture, or the culture of different fish in one pond.

This was found in a demonstration project of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region II (BFAR Region II) conducted in a fish farm in Barangay Catarawan in Piat, Cagayan.

Following the recommended stocking rate of 5 fingerlings per square meter in polyculture, 6,080 size 22 tilapia (80%) and 380 common carp (5%) fingerlings were stocked into the 1,520-square meter fishpond of project-cooperator Marcial Balmores last March. Two months later, 1,140 catfish or hito (15%) fingerlings were stocked. Commercial or artificial feeds were introduced 45 days later to save on feed cost.

(more…)

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

Using pellet feeds can somehow prevent diseases in Pangasius since food is controlled, however, prevention is still the best cure through sustainable culturing, good management and efficient water supply.

Harvesting, processing and filleting
In Vietnam, Pangasius grows in three different farming situations: in wooden River Houses with Cages placed right in the stream, in fenced part of the shores of rivers where the fish is placed, and in earthen ponds.

Nowadays, the ventilation of the ponds by paddlewheels makes the fish in these environments as good as fish coming from floating cages in rivers. The fish is fed with industrialize pellets mad from rice bran, some soybean meal and this feed is floating on to of the water surface so the fish does not pick up off-flavor situations. The fish is brought to the factories in well-boats alive when harvested. Then it is incised, bled and filleted right away. Afterwards, the fillets are frozen, which allows the utmost quality in the fish as it is cut from a live catch and deep frozen in a short time.

After six months, the fish is harvested by dragging in the nets and transporting the catch alive in well-boats to the factories. There are two main harvesting times(mostly in Vietnam) which are at the beginning of the rain-season in March and at the end of October. But fish can be also harvested all year round, during the main season there is a peak in harvesting.

(more…)