36 JUNE 2019 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG milkfish Chanos chanos; 227,815 out of the total 323,629 t (70 percent) produced in these environments are milkfish (DA-BFAR 2015). Milkfish production also dominates brackishwater fish cages and fish pens. Milkfish also accounts for most of the production in marine fish pens at 104,924 out of 105,606 t or 99 percent. Tilapia production comprises 142,339 out of 147,569 t (96 percent) of freshwater fish ponds and tops all other freshwater systems. Considerable quantities of materials used for aquaculture are imported by the Philippines every year. Shrimp feeds (6,313 t) come from Vietnam (77 percent) and Taiwan (17 percent) were valued at US$65,800 in 2015 (DA-BFAR 2015). That same year, 19,029 t of feeds for fish, crustaceans, and molluscs valued at US$118,400 were imported. Tables 2 and 3 show recent programs and projects by the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), respectively. Environmental Impacts and Potential Solutions, Including “Wildlife Farming” Historically, a key concern regarding aquaculture is its environmental impact. Among the major negative effects of As the Philippines is surrounded by water, fishing villages are common throughout the country. This is a fishing village in the municipality of Binmaley in Pangasinan, which is located at the northern part of the Philippines. (Photo: Janice A. Ragaza) Oysters and mussels account for more than 65 percent of aquaculture production in the Philippines. (Photo: J.A. Ragaza) Seahorse farming by the AQD of SEAFDEC aims to improve broodstock reproduction and survival and growth of juveniles (Photo: J.A. Ragaza). TABLE 1. Proportion of aquaculture production in the Philippines in 2015 across culture environments. Modified from DA-BFAR 2015. Culture environment Quantity (t) Percentage of total Mariculture (oysters, mussels, seaweeds) 1,602,572 68 Brackishwater 325,633 14 Freshwater 303,126 13 Marine water 116,755 5 Small-farm reservoirs 72 <1 Rice fish 3.5 <1 TOTAL 2,348,162 100
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