Since the dawn of time, fish have coexisted with humanity. Genesis 1:21 declares: “And God made the great sea creatures and every living and moving thing that fills the waters, each according to its kind.”
Fish provides essential animal protein to the human diet. “Fish protein is generally recognized as a valuable ingredient in a balanced diet,” explained Dr. Veravat Hongskul, former regional fishery officer of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). “It is of high biological value and contains essential amino acids not normally found in staple food.
“Fish oil also contains essential fatty acids, which are necessary for the proper development of the brain and the body,” he added. “Where staple foods are available, a small quantity of fish can contribute significantly to increasing consumption by improving the over-all palatability of the food and add to its nutritive value.”
According to the Institute for Environmental Research and Education (IERE), approximately 3.3 billion individuals worldwide depend on fish for a substantial part of their animal protein consumption, underscoring its critical role as a source of nutrition and means of livelihood.
Furthermore, 52.8 million people participated in subsistence fishing at various times throughout the year, emphasizing the significance of fishing as a source of income for numerous communities.
In the Philippines, fishing is also an important economic activity. “Filipinos’ lives have always been oriented toward the sea,” wrote Sandra Volpp in a chapter which appeared in Philippine Handbook. “It is thus hardly surprising that about 70% of all communities are found along the seaside.”
The coastal areas are the direct source of livelihood among these people. Most of them belong to what Ruth S. Callanta, author of “Poverty: The Philippine Scenario,” as artisanal fishermen, which “are variably referred to as municipal, small-scale, subsistence, or sustenance fishermen.”
Unfortunately, the coastal and ocean fisheries are in serious decline. In Southeast Asia, of which the Philippines is part of, “nearly all waters within 15 kilometers of shore are considered overfished,” deplored the late fishery expert Dr. Edgardo D. Gomez. He said those words when he was still the director of the marine science institute of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
This is indeed bad news for Filipinos as fish is a staple food along with rice. “Fish and seafood represent an important source of protein for the average Filipino, at around 41% of animal protein intake,” reports Kuala Lumpur-based World Fish Center. “With declining fish stocks amidst increasing demand for fish and fish based products, the Philippine government provided significant support to develop the aquaculture industry that in recent years experienced significant increases in total production.”
Aquaculture, commonly referred to as aquafarming, encompasses the breeding, rearing, and harvesting of aquatic organisms, including fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants, within controlled environments such as freshwater, brackish water, and saltwater.
These days, aquaculture serves as a vital component of the country’s fisheries industry, significantly impacting food security and job creation. Over the past two decades, the sector’s share of the overall fisheries output has increased from 36% to 53%.
“Aquaculture continues to be an overriding concern as it is a potential source for increasing production,” wrote Rita T. Dela Cruz in an article, “Stirring the Aquaculture Industry.” “In fact, the Philippines consistently ranks in the top 10 aquaculture producing countries in the world.”
Over the years, aquaculture has grown significantly due to advancements in technology and an increased understanding of the biology and life cycles of various species that can be cultivated. “Production intensification in existing fishpond areas has also been carried out to increase yields,” noted Dela Cruz.
The aquaculture species cultivated in the country encompass seaweed, finfish (including milkfish or “bangus,” tilapia, carp, “lapu-lapu,” and catfish), as well as shellfish (such as tiger prawn, mud crab, oyster, and mussel).
Although aquaculture may be considered a modern practice in many parts of the world, it has a long history. For example, oyster farming flourished in ancient Rome. Conversely, fish farming originated in China, where artificial fish hatching was already practiced around 2000 B.C.
During the Middle Ages, the construction of fishponds proliferated across Europe, largely due to the initiatives of religious figures. It is said that even Charlemagne the Great, in the 8th century, managed his own fishponds.
The Malay emigrants must have introduced the first fishponds of the Philippines long before the Chinese traders came to the country. As one marine expert puts it: “Our fishpond practices are similar to those of the Indonesians rather than of fishpond caretakers of China.”
One of the primary advantages of aquaculture is its ability to alleviate the strain on marine fisheries. However, for carnivorous species such as shrimp, salmon, trout, bass, and yellowtail, aquaculture actually heightens the demand for marine resources to supply feed for these farmed fish.
Marine scientists indicate that these carnivorous species necessitate amino acids derived from other fish, which are provided in the form of high-protein feed pellets made from wild fish. It is estimated that 5 kilograms of oceanic fish must be processed into fishmeal to produce one kilogram of farmed ocean fish or shrimp, resulting in a significant net protein deficit. In addition to the substantial food input, there is also a requirement for land and water resources.
In the Philippines, areas typically transformed into ponds include waterlogged regions, wetlands (marshes), and cultivated rice fields. The water supply is generally sourced from irrigation systems or rainfed methods.
“The conversion of ricelands to ponds are dictated by economic use of the land,” wrote Simeona Aypa in a paper published by Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. “Lands converted into tilapia ponds are more profitable than ricelands as reported. But massive conversion of irrigated ricelands into tilapia ponds may affect rice production in the future.”
Erosion, sedimentation, and siltation are also traced to the proliferation of fish cages and fishponds in shallow lakes and rivers. “Clearing of land where pens and cages are established results in increased erosion, sedimentation, and siltation,” Aypa wrote. “Water quality is also affected.”
Moreover, the extensive farming of fish in pens and cages requires significant amounts of wood, typically bamboo, which deteriorates after approximately two years. This demand can yield beneficial outcomes such as increased income, job creation, and the prevention of erosion; however, it may also lead to localized deforestation.
Conversely, discarded and unusable materials from cages and pens create obstacles for fishing and navigation, while leftover feed can contribute to sedimentation.
The escape of domesticated, farmed fish into rivers, lakes, and coastal regions has emerged as an escalating threat to the already depleted populations of wild fish. Nevertheless, such escapes are not rare occurrences.
“In tropical freshwater systems, two-thirds of escaped fish species have become established,” reports Anne Platt McGinn, a research associate at the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute. “In Europe, 30% of all exotic aquatic species came originally from displacement of farmed stock, as they have specific territorial behavior that is essential for survival in the wild.”
Is there a glimmer of hope for aquaculture? “The ultimate success of aquaculture may lie in the ability of its developers to leapfrog the mistakes of agriculture – to resist putting chemicals in the water and hormones in the fry, and consuming vast quantities of resources to get their product out,” McGinn suggests.
“The fish farmers’ ticket to the future is to align their business with the growing movement toward integrated, closed-loop production that is already making waves in the agricultural and timber industries,” McGinn adds.
