May 5, 2011

Aquaculture contributes half of Philippine marine output in 2010

Aquaculture raised its share to 51% of the country's marine production in 2010, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

BFAR Director Malcolm I. Sarmiento said aquaculture ranked first among the three fishery subsectors in the country with a harvest of 2.7 million tonnes Municipal water yield was only 1.2 million tonnes while commercial fishing operations produced only 1.1 million tonnes, he added.

Sarmiento said the production increase is the trend worldwide, adding recent data shows that production coming from aquaculture all over the world already represents about 50% of the total global supply of fish.

The BFAR chief also noted that aquaculture would be the major source for fish in the world in less than five years based on the research done by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

Aquaculture refers to farming of aquatic organisms. It implies some form of intervention in the rearing process to enhance production.

The most common activity is the establishment of fish ponds, fish cages and mariculture zones.

Sarmiento said that they have been intensely promoting aquaculture since the early 1990s to offset the decline in fish catch and ease pressure on the country's distressed seas.

He said that there is an ongoing campaign for operators make the shift from hunting to farming wherein BFAR would assist by providing fingerlings through hatcheries disseminating technologies and undertaking research to improve technologies.

In the past, aquaculture was concentrated on raising bangus (milkfish) and tilapia.

Recently, the government has expanded its coverage to include high-value species of giant clams, sea cucumber, blue crab, seaweeds, abalone, pangasius and other commodities.

Sarmiento expressed confidence that the Philippines is in a position to become a major player in the multi-million business of raising, culturing, breeding and processing products coming from aquaculture because of our climatic conditions. The country may not have the technology but it has the ideal areas for aquaculture farming, he said.