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Structures

Milkfish can be grown in ponds, pens, or cages. Pond culture is traditionally done in shallow brackish water ponds in Indonesia and the Philippines, where the fish feed on algae in the ponds. Pen culture involves enclosing areas of productive lakes or estuaries with nets, which allows for commercial feeding. Cage culture suspends enclosures in shallow coastal waters or deep water, allowing for high stocking densities but increased risks of damage during storms.

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315 views3 pages

Structures

Milkfish can be grown in ponds, pens, or cages. Pond culture is traditionally done in shallow brackish water ponds in Indonesia and the Philippines, where the fish feed on algae in the ponds. Pen culture involves enclosing areas of productive lakes or estuaries with nets, which allows for commercial feeding. Cage culture suspends enclosures in shallow coastal waters or deep water, allowing for high stocking densities but increased risks of damage during storms.

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Rondon Labosnog
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Milkfish may be grown in ponds, pens, or cages.

Pond culture

The culture of milkfish in ponds may be in shallow or deep water systems.

 Shallow water culture is practiced mainly in Indonesia and the Philippines.


Milkfish are traditionally cultured in shallow Brackish water ponds in which the
growth of benthic algae is encouraged through inorganic or organic fertilization.
Milkfish will survive on benthic algae alone only if the productivity of the algae
exceeds the grazing rate of the fish; otherwise, supplemental commercial feeds are
applied.

 Brackish water ponds in the Philippines were mostly excavated from 'nipa' and
mangrove areas. Shallow water pond design generally consists of several nursery
and production ponds with a typical area of 2 000 m² for nursery ponds and 4 ha
for production (ongrowing) ponds. Typically, ponds have a depth of 30-40 cm and
are provided with independent water supplies.

 Advantages of pond culture include


o its simplicity,
o relatively low labor requirements (apart from the harvesting of the fish).
o It also has low energy requirements.
 A major disadvantage is that the farm operation is more dependent on weather
and other natural factors that are beyond the farmer’s control.
 Another disadvantage concerns the marketing of the fish. Generally, ponds are
only harvested when most of the fish are at market size.
Pen culture

This system was introduced in the Philippines in 1979 in the Laguna Lake. At that time,
the lake had a very high primary productivity, which met the nutritional needs of
milkfish. Because of the low rate of input and the high rate of return, the pen culture area
increased sharply from 1973 to 1983, and exceeded more than 50 percent of the total lake
surface, which is 90 000 ha. As the primary production of the lake could not meet this
sudden expansion of aquaculture, and feeding became necessary to meet the nutritional
requirements of the cultured fish, the pen culture practices developed in lakes were later
introduced into inter-tidal areas in the Philippines along coves and river estuaries as well.
Advantages of Pen Fish Culture
The use of pen in aquaculture has the following advantages:
 Commercial fish grown in pens in fertile lakes generally have very good growth rates.
 This method is also successful in unproductive water when supplementary feeding is
provided
 It considered an eco-friendly method of fish culture as it does not pollute the
environment.
 Little maintenance, except for care of netting, is required
Disadvantages of Pen Culture
 Setup costs can be expensive as nets must be made of nylon or plastic to avoid rot and
water logging.
 Pens have short lifespan ranging from 3 – 5 years, thereby requiring periodic
replacement.
 Because pens are often set up in shallow water where fish spawn, they sometimes reduce
natural production in some lakes.
Cage culture

Fish cages are smaller and more restricted enclosures that can be staked in shallow waters
or set-up in deep water with appropriate floats and anchors. Cage farming of milkfish is
commonly carried out in marine waters along coastal bays. Stocking rates (in the
Philippines) are quite high, from 5 up to 30/m³.
Advantages of Cage Culture
• It provides private ownership in public waters, control competitors special of fish and
predators are easy.
• Cost of construction of cage and initial expenditure is low.
• There is high yield of fish, and good economic return.
Disadvantages of Cage Culture
• Problems of experienced by the cage culture are damage during storms pollution, theft
and vandalism.
• The viability may also be affected through increased expenditure on security

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