Agri-Aqua Harvest Festival 2110

A harvest festival is an annual festivity to serve as a thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest.  This is held during the main harvest of a given region. Due to the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals are observed at various times throughout the world. Harvests festivals typically feature feasting of both the family and the public, with foods coming from crops that are harvested around the time of the festival. Ample food and holidays from fieldwork are two central features of the harvest festivals.  The celebration is manifested through eating, merriment, contests, music and romance.

July is the harvest month in the Philippines.

The Agri-Aqua Network International, Inc. (AANI) in cooperation with the Friends of AANI composed of different organizations and experts in the food production industry will celebrate AGRI-AQUA HARVEST FESTIVAL 2010 with the theme “14 Years of Sustainable AANI: Farm in the Park” on July 16 to18 at the AANI Herbal Garden & Livelihood Center, Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City.

The three day event will feature more than 50 food producers/processors, fruit and vegetable farmers, fisher folks, technology experts, chefs, cooks, musicians, merrymakers and many more. AANI will transform the venue into a “farm” style ambience with a “fiesta” mood to capture the Filipino thanksgiving celebration.

The event is open and FREE to the public.

In addition, the public will be treated to a three day family farm food, drinks, music, fun, entertainment, enjoyment and agri-aqua education through Aqua Kapihan, Agri Kapihan, cooking demos, gardening seminars, fruit wine tasting, interactive livestock and poultry raising, aquaculture demo, barbeques etc.

Should you have queries, please contact Ms. Desiree T. Segovia, 0918-8001728 / 497-2755 for details.

Incidentally, Mr. Jojo Baldia will deliver a free seminar on "Innovative Techniques in the Mass Production of Freshwater Ornamental Fishes" during the July 18 2010, Sunday,  Aqua Kapihan.

Should you have queries, please contact Ms. Desiree T. Segovia, 0918-8001728 / 497-2755 for details.

Agri-Aqua Network International, Inc.

A Visit to my Aquaculture Roots... The Binangonan Freshwater Station of SEAFDEC, AQD

This video surely makes me very nostalgic as this is where my fascination in aquaculture started.  It provided me with a very strong background in my chosen field.

I miss the place, the people I worked with and the happy times we had in a secluded island right at the middle of Laguna Lake.  I miss the 30 min boat ride, the strong wind and waves while riding the banca to and from Tapao during typhoon months.  I miss the freshwater fishes we shared during lunch like ayungin, biya and kanduli. 

Culture of the Native Hito (Clarias macrocephalus)

Introduction

The freshwater catfish, Clarias ssp. are widely distributed in Southeast, South Asia and Africa. They exist in a variety of habitats from brackishwater in estuaries to fully freshwater rivers and lakes. In the mid- 1990's, and introduced species, Clarias gariepinus, have become a very popular aquaculture species in the country because they can be spawned artificially, grow very fast, can tolerate farming conditions and are easy to culture.

In the Philippines, there are now three species of the genus Clarias, namely, the Native Hito (Clarias macrocephalus, the Thai catfish (Clarias batrachus) and the African Hito, (Clarias gariepinus). Among the three species, only C. macrocephalus is indigenous in the Philippines while the other two are introduced species. C. gariepinus originated from Africa while C. batrachus came from Thailand. The introduction of these species into the country was believed to have contributed to the diminishing population of the native catfish. To date, the native catfish can scarcely be found only in some remote areas of the Philippines namely Mindoro and Palawan where the two other species have not been introduced before.

Culture of Pompano in Bolinao, Pangasinan

There is a current craze for pompano culture in cape Bolinao, Pangasinan.  The shift in species was due to the erratic production of milkfish brought about by pollution and its high production cost and low market price of the harvested fish.

After years of searching for an alternate fish suitable for culture in the area, pompano seem to be the answer to the prayers of most Bolinao cage operators.  According to them, it is a very hardy.  In fact, when “fish kill” occurred sometime in 2004, milkfish pen and cage operators suffered heavy losses while pompano did not incur any mortality.  Another proof of its hardiness is its capability of being transported live for 6-7 hrs (from Bolinao to Manila) in oxygenated plastic bags.  Thus, commanding an even higher market price.

Tilapia Cage Farming: A New Enterprise for Small Fishermen

Here is an interesting video on Tilapia cage farming.  This is a very old video but is still a good eye opener for those who may be interested to venture in this business.

This is a production of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, Aquaculture Department.

Intensive Culture of Tilapia in Tanks II. Hatchery & Nursery Operations

The business of raising Tilapia does not involve growing the fingerlings to marketable size alone. Another profit center in this enterprise that can even be more profitable is the hatchery and nursery operations. The higher profitability of these operations relies on the fact that the feed input is much less than the grow-out operations. Furthermore, in terms of the turn-over rates, the hatchery operations takes only about a week while the nursery operation takes about one month as compared to the four to five months it will take before the marketable sized fish is sold.

Similar to the grow-out culture, the hatchery and nursery of tilapia in tanks offers a solution to increased production at a limited space as compared to the traditional pond and cage culture systems. It also minimizes the risk of crop loss due to typhoons and inundation. Furthermore, intensification of culture means less exploitation of the area and more effective management and controlled operation. It is envisioned that it is only through the tank system that aquaculture can be “industrialized” by providing better control and predictable production levels.

Intensive Culture of Tilapia in Tanks I. Grow-out Culture- Tank Design & Operations)

Many are interested in the culture of Tilapia in tanks because of the advantages it offers: first,  less space is needed, second,  better management control, third, less labor is needed, fourth, better quality of fish produced, and fifth, less risk of loss of stocks due to typhoons and flooding.

Its only disadvantage is- it is more expensive to construct and because no natural food can be produced, feeding will depend entirely on commercial feeds.  Encouraged by these reasons, many have actually ventured into this business but failed because of lack of information on the system requirements.  The design of the tank system together with the life support system is crucial to the operations and will determine the success or failure of this business.