Basic guide to sea cage farming of silver ‘pompano’

Posted at 6:26 pm August 16, 2011

Tags: Aquaculture

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By Anna Valmero

QUEZON CITY, METRO MANILA— Raising high-value silver pompano (trachinotus blochii) fishes is ideal for Filipinos wanting to venture into aquaculture as a business.

Silver pompano, which is locally referred to as tarakito (also talakitok), isda puti or urok in certain parts of the country, is a high-value marine species grown primarily through aquaculture, said Hannibal M. Chavez, manager of Regional Fisheries Research and Development Center in the Calabarzon Region.

Pompano commands a higher market price than bangus or milkfish, especially when it is alive.

The paradigm shift from the promotion of traditional species to high-value species in aquaculture is gaining momentum worldwide.

In the Philippines, 47 percent of the total fish supply in 2007 was from aquaculture, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Mariculture or sea cage farming is also becoming popular due to the decline of wild fish stocks and one of the fishes promoted among local fish farmers is the pompano because it can easily adopt to a culture environment and has rapid and uniform growth compared to other fishes.

Naturally, it feeds on sand mollusks, clams and crabs but it also easily adopts and eats formulated feeds or trash fish in mariculture, Chavez said.

At present, the supply of fingerlings (from 0.5- to 1.5-inches) mainly comes from hatcheries. A fingerling costs P10 on average and you will need about 17, 280 fingerlings for two croppings in a mariculture site measuring 288 cubic meters, said Chavez.

Here are some basic guidelines to start your pompano business:

1. The fingerlings are grown in floating net cages installed in calm waters such as coves and bays to avoid damage from strong winds and waves. The site should be protected from pollution and must be within the fish cage belt or mariculture zone designated by the local government.

2. The ideal fish cage should measure four meters by four meters by three meters (or 48 cubic meters) to make mariculture more manageable via modular farming. The cage frame is usually made of high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes, galvanized iron or bamboo (needs annual replacement). Floaters can be made out of drums while the mooring system can be made of concrete blocks to be placed at the four corners of the cage.

3. The nursery net can be made of B-net while grow-out nets should be of Super-G no. 14 or PE Knotted net (mesh size 40cm).

4. Stocking density of fingerlings is about 30 to 50 pieces per cubic meter. Feed the fingerlings with fry mash up to four times a day at 10 to 20 percent body weight ratio. Remember that culture period from fingerling to juvenile is within a month.

5. To grow the juvenile fish to marketable size of 250g to 1kg each, the stocking rate should be 30 pieces per cubic meter. Haul the fish to the grow-out nets in the morning and always maintain optimum water temperature of 27 degrees Celsius and salinity of 30-35 parts per million (ppt).

6. The stocks are harvested after four to seven months when the each piece weighs 250g or more. All stocks are counted to determine the survival rate.

Based on BFAR’s study, sale of the 5,644 kilos of pompano grown in 288 cubic meter sea cages after two croppings (within 18 months) can amount to P1.241 million, with a net income of P532,609 (minus the capital outlay), Chavez said.

In case this is not attained, the break-even volume should be 3,223 kilos of pompano.

Basic guide to sea cage farming of silver ‘pompano’

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