AQ 710 – Advanced Aquaculture

Lecture 1. Introduction
 Aquaculture
• Been recognized as the fastest growing food
producing sector, contributing significantly to
national economic dev’t (employment, foreign
exchange earning), food supply & food security
• In the Philippines has a long history & involves
many species & farming practices in diverse
ecosystems.
• Most aqua. production in the Philippines:
farming of seaweed, milkfish, tilapia, shrimp,
carp, oyster & mussel.
• In general, rearing units used can be of various
types including: ponds, cages, net pens & tanks
(RAC, biofloc sys, raceways, silos)

• Selection of a rearing unit depends on: aquatic

species, water quality characteristics (e.g.
water availability & flow), oxygen demand, &
soil characteristics.
 Aquaculture
• Almost all forms of aquaculture are practiced in
Asia such as the following:
o Hatchery: produce & raise fish fry & fingerlings

o Fish production: raise fingerlings to marketable

size (grow-out)
o Vertical integration: incorporate both hatchery &
fish production & all aspects of the prod’n system
 Some Governing
Regulations/Legislations
• The Philippine Environment Code (1988) provides
the foundation for all measures dealing with the
Philippine's natural environment, encompassing the
mgt. of air quality, water, land use, natural resources
& waste. The Code, being a framework instrument,
provides a chapter on fisheries & aquatic resources
& requires the gov’t to establish a system of rational
exploitation thereof.
• The Philippine Fisheries Code (1998) provides for the
dev’t, mgt., conservation & utilization of fisheries &
aquatic resources. The Code integrates all laws that
are relevant to these issues. Chapter II, Article III
(Sections 45-57) of the Code deals with aquaculture.
The Implementing Rules & Regulations (1998)
provide the procedures & guidelines for the
implementation of the Code. The Code is further
implemented by numerous Fisheries Administrative
Orders (FAOs) on various specific subjects.
• The Bureau of Fisheries & Aquaculture Resources
(BFAR) is the agency tasked with the mgt. & dev’t of
fisheries & aquatic resources. The Code also creates
a National Fisheries Research & Development
Institute (NFRDI), which serves as the primary
research arm of BFAR. The functions of BFAR are
broadly defined & include the preparation &
implementation of the National Fisheries Industry
Dev’t Plan, the enforcement of laws & regulations
(except in municipal waters) & the monitoring &
regulation of import & export of fishery &
aquaculture products & of fish processing
establishments.
• The Fisheries Code also provides for the
establishment of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources Mgt
Councils (FARMCs) at various levels. The Fisheries
Administrative Order No. 196 (2000) provides
detailed guidelines on the creation &
implementation of FARMCs.
• Another basic act that is relevant to aquaculture is
the Agriculture & Fisheries Modernization Act
(AFMA) (1997), which prescribes the measures to
modernize the agriculture & fisheries sectors in
order to enhance their profitability. It places priority
on increase in production & encourages a rapid shift
towards industrialization.
• The National Agriculture & Fisheries Council (NAFC)
assists the Dept of Agriculture in the monitoring &
coordination of the agriculture & fisheries
modernization process.
• Finally, the Reorganization Act of the Department of
Environment & Natural Resources (DENR) (1987)
establishes the Environmental Management Bureau
(EMB), encompassing the former National
Environmental Protection Council, the former
National Pollution Control Commission & the former
Environmental Center of the Philippines. It also
establishes a Protected Areas & Wildlife Bureau.
• It should be noted that the Fisheries Code contains a
number of provisions in which the jurisdictions of
BFAR & EMB intersect. Such intersections are
express, such as the classification of rare,
threatened or endangered species of aquatic flora &
fauna or the classification of fishery areas, or
implied, such as the formulation of an integrated
coastal mgt framework & the setting, monitoring &
evaluation of water quality standards.
 Pond Culture
• The earliest & widely used aquaculture systems
• Most fishponds in Asia are made of earth & mud
which are necessary for promoting natural
productivity for culturing of fish low in the food
chain such as carps & tilapia
• Some ponds are using plastic-liner
• Fish culture in ponds is water intensive &
requires large volumes of good quality water
• The water must be free from contaminants &
wild animals
• Water must be pumped either from a well or a
surface water source.
• The size, shape & arrangement of the ponds are
often determined by the topography of the sites
• For large-scale fishponds where engineering
inputs are necessary, the ponds are usually
rectangular in shapes & more systematically
arranged with proper system for supply &
drainage
• Ponds require land with the correct topography &
soil type for economical construction & operation
of the ponds
• Even when land is available, aquaculture
production will not be profitable without the
proper industry infrastructure in place
• Variable operating costs, such as feed costs &
marketing, must be dealt with for profitable
production of aquaculture species
• Ponds can be found in many shapes & sizes but the
most common are levee type & watershed ponds
 Levee ponds
• Levee ponds have four raised levees (sides), are
usually rectangular, have flat bottom, & can range
in size up to 8 ha or more
• The maximum depth of a levee pond is usually 1.2 -
2.4 m
• Correct levee construction is important for good
pond mgt. Using proper planning, ponds can be
constructed next to each other, requiring fewer
levees & saving space & construction costs.
• Levees not only contain water in ponds, but also permit
vehicular traffic around & between ponds.
• Levees can be constructed by using a bulldozer or a
back hoe.
• Preparation of the base is important in levee
construction. Obstructions in the base can lead to
failure of the levee due to seepage
• The outside slope of the levee should be 2:1 & the
inside slope can range from 2.5:1 - 4:1 but 3:1 seems
to be the norm. Steeper slopes have the advantage of
using less earth in the levee &, therefore, allowing less
shallow water, keeping vegetation to a minimum
• The disadvantage of steep side slopes are the
increase in erosion rates & the difficulty of
mowing.
• Ponds constructed at right angles to prevailing
winds will reduce the damage of wave action on
levees.
 Watershed Ponds
(Small Farm Reservoir)
• A watershed pond is a hillside pond with a
main levee that dams a valley, an irregular
shape, & is, generally, deeper than an earthen
pond
 Pond Size & Shape
• Production ponds are usually rectangular with
length of the pond being determined by the land
• In hilly country, ponds are built parallel to the
contour
• Warmwater aquaculture uses production ponds up
to 8 ha or more.
• Larger ponds are less expensive to build, but are
more difficult to manage
• While fish ponds may be any size, most are now 4-8
ha.
 Fish Culture in Rice Fields
• Traditional practice in rice
cultivation
• Before the massive use of
pesticides, fish culture is an
important part of rice culture
• In India, Thailand, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Vietnam & China,
rice-fish culture has developed
into an important inland
fishery which contributed to
the supply of animal protein to
the farmers & also formed part
of their subsidiary income.
 Fish Culture in Recirculating Systems
• The culture of fish in recirculating aqua. systems (RAS)
have been practiced in commercial scale in many
developed countries

• The systems involve technical processes in

reconditioning of used water & recirculating it.
• Fish are cultured in tanks at very high densities with
heavy aeration & fast exchange of water
• The obvious advantages of RAS are the recycling of
water as well as full control of water quality
• The cost of production using RAS is usually higher
than conventional method of fish farming in ponds
due to the elaborate facilities needed for
sedimentation, filtration, aeration as well as high
cost of equipment, water treatment & artificial
feeds
• Many RAS use biological filter to get rid of ammonia
& other organic wastes in the water
 Cage Culture
• The enclosure method of
fish farming is a productive
aquafarming system
• This method utilizes either
cages or pens for raising
cultured organisms
• Cage culture system makes
direct use of the water in
the culture site which is
constantly renewed by
water flushing to enable
high density stocking of
cultured organisms
 Fishpen Culture
• An artificial enclosure
constructed within a body of
water for culturing fish
• The bottom of the pen is the
bottom of the body of water &
it is not usually covered
• Advantage: it utilizes the water
flushing for renewal of water to
get rid of metabolites,
ammonia & eaten feeds
• However, the fish pens are
prone to typhoon, poaching,
high mortality of fingerlings &
water pollution
 Ocean Ranching
• Ocean ranching is a recently developed
aquaculture system utilizing the biological
characteristics of the fish & nature to increase
fish production

• However, this type of aquaculture practice is

limited to selected species which show homing
behaviour (i.e. salmonids)
• Ocean ranching refers to the release of
anadromous fish such as salmonids (Pacific &
Atlantic salmon & some species of trout & char) as
fry or smolts into marine waters
• The fish then behave as wild fish, travel on
extensive feeding migrations, & return with
precision to the release point – the hatchery of
origin
• In general, the idea is to take advantage of free
ocean production by sending fish out to forage as
free-range cattle do
• In the Pacific northwest & western Canadian waters,
high ocean survival was common three decades ago,
but much lower survival occurred in recent years
• The possible reasons for this decline have been
debated intensely & range from changes in ocean
regimes (e.g., temperature, primary & secondary
productivity) to hatchery techniques & conditions
(e.g., crowding, disease build-up)
 Assignment 1
• Despite the seemingly bright future of
aquaculture in many parts of the world,
explain & identify the constraints that might
restrict the development of this industry.
• Explain which aquaculture system you think
has the potential for development in the
Philippines?
• Submit your assignment thru email on or
before September 3, 2018.