Laguna De Bay Fish Pen Aquaculture Development ‐ Philippines

Laguna de Bay, in the Philippines, has been the setting for what is believed to have been one of the largest and most rapid growth fish pen developments that has occurred worldwide. Laguna de Bay is 2 one of the largest lakes in Southeast Asia and has an area of 900 km Beginning with a pilot project in 1971 of 38 ha, the fish pen development expanded to 4800 ha by the end of 1973. 3/ The gross annual value of production in 1973 was 76.8 million pesos. The lake is highly productive and is rich in phytoplankton and benthic food sources. One of the most important features of the fish pen aquaculture is that the rearing of fish in pens is accomplished with the natural feeds available in the lake. The species reared in the fish pens is entirely Chanos chanos (Forskal), a phytoplankton feeder. Fry are collected from fry grounds along coastal waters in various parts of the country, raised in nurseries to fingerling sizes and released for rearing in the fish pens. The lake fish pen aquaculture has been estimated to have a potential for expansion to 20,000 ha of fish pens having an annual production value of 320 million pesos. Because the lake is just south and east of Greater Manila, with a population of more than 5 million, there is an almost unlimited market for the fish pen harvests. However, there are grave problems which must be resolved if the present production is to be maintained and the future potential realized. These include environmental control of the lake waters ‐ particularly with respect to pollution control ‐ management of the lake fishery and resolution of social and economic problems generated by the rapid pace of fish pen development.1 Formerly Regional Fishery Officer, Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) 2 /Formerly United Nations Senior Technical Adviser to the LLDA 3 /7 pesos ‐ (U.S.) $1.00 in 1973