14 DECEMBER 2014 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG Recently completed research in Dagupan on saline tilapia called “mollibicus,” which can be reared in coastal areas, proves to be promising in the face of increasingly frequent fishkills in brackishwater environments (The Fish Site 2014a). These studies can help provide preparatory and mitigation measures that can ultimately cushion the impacts of climate change on food supply and livelihood of fisherfolk communities. Institutional factors. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is the leading fishery organization in the Philippine government that has a mandate under the Republic Act (RA) 8550 of 1998 to conserve, protect and use fishery and aquatic resources sustainably, alleviate poverty and provide supplementary livelihoods for Filipinos (Lopez 2006). Other research organizations include the Aquaculture Department of Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC/AQD), Worldfish Center, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), among others (Lopez 2006). At present, fisheries researchers have been collaborating with private sector fish farmers and policy makers from the national and local government through forums on enforcing limits on aquaculture operations and other environmental concerns (BFAR 2010b). This is to ensure the fair allocation of coastal resources; otherwise externalities (indirect costs to aquaculture) are incurred. Externalities include reduction in natural fish productivity and increased vulnerability to natural disasters, such as typhoons and tsunamis, resulting in loss of natural coastal protection (as provided by mangroves). Government institutions are also strongly encouraged to mobilize funds for the benefit of fish farmers. For example, the Quezon provincial state government has been providing free materials for milkfish cage construction, such as bamboo poles, nets, ropes and fingerlings to fishermen, thereby paving the way for aquaculture development in the region (The Fish Site 2013b). Similarly, BFAR has allocated US$ 737,000 to the local government of Cebu to help rehabilitate fish cages, seaweed farms, fish pens and coral reefs damaged by Typhoon Yolanda (The Fish Site 2014b). As the country has been facing shortages in the supply of seaweed, the Mud crab rearing tanks at Institute of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of the Philippines-Visayas, Miagao, Iloilo, Philippines. Photo by J.A. Ragaza. Rotifer culture, as feed for fish larvae at Institute of Aquaculture, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of the Philippines-Visayas, Miagao, Iloilo, Philippines. Photo by J.A. Ragaza. If aquaculture is aimed toward positive development, sustainability programs must integrate the following factors: technical (feeding practices, aeration, broodstock quality); physical (temperature, salinity); institutional (legislation, externalities); and socioeconomic (poverty, farmers’ management abilities) (Bergquist 2007). Technical factors. The search for potential plant-based proteins, including water hyacinth and white cowpea as alternatives for fishmeal in aquafeeds, has gained importance to reduce dependence on depleted marine fish stocks (SEAFDEC/AQD 2008). This also calls for a shift toward cultivating herbivorous and omnivorous fishes, such as milkfish, tilapia and catfish. Studies have also been conducted that aim to improve the living standards of fish farmers and consumers, provide avenues for employment and ensure food security throughout the country. These include the genetic improvement of tilapia and, more recently, the project of identifying tilapia “super strains” (Worldfish 2013), improving technologies for breeding new aquaculture species of high economic value, such as snubnose pompano Trachinotus blochii, scat Scatophagus argus and Napoleon wrasse Cheilinus undulatus, among others (SEAFDEC/AQD 2010). Innovative studies for resource enhancement to increase species stocks also have helped sustain the aquaculture industry. Low survival of seahorses Hippocampus comes in hatcheries has been a problem until the recent discovery of disinfecting its live food (copepods) with low doses of disinfecting chemicals in Guimaras, West Central Visayas. This technique has increased seahorse survival, which could enable mass production and consequently rehabilitation of depleted stocks (SEAFDEC/AQD 2014). Physical factors. Studies on how climate change can affect the aquaculture industry have been conducted to aid fish farmers in adapting to this change. For example, effects of elevated water temperatures and acidity on performance of important cultured fishes, such as milkfish and seabass, have been assessed. Search and identification of species that can be used for integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), an approach that promotes waste management and minimizes environmental impacts of aquaculture, is also being examined (SEAFDFEC/AQD 2011).
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