Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department
SEAFDEC/AQD Institutional Repository http://repository.seafdec.org.ph
Journals/Magazines Aqua Farm News
1996
A perspective of the carp industry in the Philippines
Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center
Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, Aquaculture Department (1996). A perspective of the carp industry in the Philippines. Aqua Farm News, 14(6), 4-5.
http://hdl.handle.net/10862/2442
Downloaded from http://repository.seafdec.org.ph, SEAFDEC/AQD's Institutional Repository
A perspective of the carp industry in the Philippines
Laguna de Bay is being tapped as freshwater source fo r domestic use:
what happens to the carp industry?
From th e fishfarmers
Dr. A le x KingDr. A le x King, a D octor o f Veterinary M edi
c in e is into c a rp business fo r several years. He had h is sh are o f p ea k a nd lean harvest and this he sa id is a ttrib uted to w e a th e r condition.
"C a rp b usine ss is p rofitable but I th in k the m arket s tra te g y is poor, a ls o post harvest and pro cessin g. It ju st d oesn't appeal to th e co n su m e rs." O th e r se lle rs d esp erately m islead co n s u m e rs into buying th e ir ca rp a s red snapper. "If yo u a re not keen you w on't see th e difference b y th e ir a p p ea ra nce . A nd m aybe it's because c a rp if p re pa re d and co oke d w ell it ta ste s like red snapper".
"T h ing s se em to be going better fo r carp until last y e a r w he n the N apindan outle t to the se a w a s locked up p re ven ting se aw ater to get into th e lake".
"G o n e a re th o s e p la n k to n ic fo od w hich a b o u n d w he n w a te r in th e lake b ecom es brack
ish and not a s tu rb id as it is now".
R au l A ra lar
Being in th e business fo r years, Raul seem to p ra c tic a lly kn ow all a bout carp culture. H e's into both h a tc h e ry and grow -out. O b viou sly a p ro fita b le b usiness, he is n ow im proving and e xp a n d in g his h atch ery fa c ilitie s located right at th e b a c k o f his reside n ce alo ng Laguna lake.
R a u l a c k n o w le d g e s S E A F D E C fo r th e te c h n o lo g y a n d a s s is ta n c e a lth o u g h he says th e re 's s till jo b to be done. Larval rearing te ch n iq u e s need to be im proved. W e still encounter p ro b le m s d urin g th a t stage.
“No, I'm not using th e recent m ethods re co m m e n d e d by S E A F D E C to induce sp aw n ing b e c a u s e o f th e m ixing protocol. I still use the tra d itio n a l H C G + LH R H a. It's e asier fo r me".
R aul e xp e cts a good m arket during the H o ly w e e k w he n e verybo dy abstains from eat-
next page p le a se ...
From the researchers
SEAFDEC (Andy Santiago an d Lito Gonzal) It's not th e end of th e ca rp industry says A n dy and Lito referring to th e existing conflict of use o f Laguna lake. This d eve lo pm e nt how ever is putting th e researchers o f B inangonan F resh
w ater S tation in a sad predicam ent.
Laguna lake is being ta pp ed as a p oten
tial source of fre sh w a te r fo r dom estic use. This w ould m ean the closu re o f th e H ydraulic C on
trol s tru ctu re in N ap ind an river. P lankton and o the r natural fo o d s abo un d w hen th e w ater is a bit brackish enhancing grow th o f fish e s in the lake. No se aw ater m ea ns less o r no plankton.
"Bangus definitely w ill be o u t beca use o f this", sa ys Andy. O n ly tila p ia o r ca rp w ill g ro w but w ouldn't be the w ay it sh ou ld if th e food is a b u n dant.
W hile th e y sym pa thize w ith fish growers, w ater is also needed fo r d om estic use. "W e can im port fish but w e can't im port w ater, says A ndy claim ing th at S E A FD E C has to take its p ro -a c
tive role. "W e have a ready a lternative fo r that inte n sify c a rp /tila p ia c u ltu re a nd v e n tu re into other species like catfish, m udfish o r snakehead".
Both A n d y and Lito agree th at ca rp can really be a v e ry im p orta nt c o m m o d ity b u t th e m arketing strategy should be improved. ICLARM, A n dy says, is now involved in carp.
Lito thinks SE A FD E C should be a frontline ally of carp growers since w e developed the te ch nology fo r lake culture.
BFAR (Aida Palma)
Aida, a strong ally o f ca rp fa rm e rs em phasized the need to really put carp ind ustry in line w ith o the r high va lu ed fishes. A gove rn m e nt e x te n s io n w orker, sh e lo u d ly e x p re s s e d h er vie w s o f th e a p p aren t neg le ct fo r th e ca rp in
dustry, o b vio u sly referring to the lack of coordina
tion between government agencies". A cceptance next page please...
4 Aqua Farm News Vol. XIV (No. 6) November-December 1996
Andy Santiago, station head of SEAFDEC Binangonan Freshwater station and researcher Lito Gonzal (right) explain the existing conflict of use of Laguna de Bay, Raul Aralar (left) is into carp grow out and hatchery business while Aida Palma of BFAR (below) looks forward to seeing carp indus
try in the forefront of freshwater aquaculture.
ing meat. While he thinks there's no problem in marketing within the vicinity because of high de
mand, he laments poaching is still rampant. He said, he just lost stock of breeders last week.
"I think carp is more profitable business than tilapia, he said having had tried the two species. Carp grows faster fo r you can easily get a 1.5-2 kg after 4-6 months of culture. Before, two crops can be done in a year in either pens or cages but now, the food for carps are no longer abundant in the lake.
A m er Mercado
Am er thinks money is easier to get from carp than tilapia. Aside from being easy to cul
ture, it grows faster. "Stocking 10,000 per ha in pens and with favorable weather, I could get 100-150 kgs. Even in my hatchery business it goes w ell if th e w eather is go o d ". Like Raul, Am er's wife serves as his personal assistant, helping him out in records and financial manage
ment.
Am er attracts buyers by lowering the price of fingerlings. "In that way I can help struggling businessmen and encourage them to join the rolls of carp growers in Binangonan". The more the merrier. To those who want to engage in the business, here are the keywords: responsible, hardworking, goodwill and honesty.
Aida Palma ... cont.
of the fish in coastal areas maybe limited be
cause there's a lot to choose from. The target should be focused on landlocked areas where carp could be highly acceptable. Aida is now actively gathering data on catches of carp where she thinks is under reported hence under va l
ued. From there she looks forward to seeing carp in d u stry in th e fo re fro n t of fre s h w a te r aquaculture.
There is a wide acceptance o f carp especially in land-locked areas where choices are limited. No doubt the business is profitable because carp growers who have been into the business could attest to this. There is however ap
parent neglect for or gap in the industry because despite these indications, carp culture is still unstable. Something should really be done to improve the marketing strategy.
The restriction o f use of Laguna de Bay does not mean the end o f the carp industry. Carp culture will even be intensified in lieu o f milkfish. SEAFDEC and other re
search agencies, however, need to work together on the alternatives as regards impending scarcity of natural food.
Aqua Farm News Vol. XIV (No. 6) November-December 1996 5
