Ornamental Fish Production Gets Long-Deserved Attention

The government and the private sector are finally collaborating to promote the production of ornamental fishes which could become a new sunshine industry.

Only recently, a strategic plan of action has been crafted to promote the growing of ornamental fishes, particularly in Laguna Lake and Taal Lake. The vision is to provide profitable livelihood to families living along the shores of the two major lakes. Rather than marginal fisherfolk or employees of factories that often provided temporary jobs, they could become small entrepreneurs growing pet fish.

As concrete step toward the realization of the vision, a techno-demo center for the production of koi and other aquarium fishes was recently launched in Cardona, Rizal. Another one has been started in Sucat, Paranaque, along Laguna Lake. The techno-demo centers are the collaborative efforts of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of the Department of Agriculture and the private sector spearheaded by Bio Research. Headed by Wilson Ang, Rio Research is the country’s biggest grower and marketer of aquarium fishes and other pets. It has the experience, the facilities as well as the breeders that could jumpstart an honest-to-goodness development of the industry.

During the 2nd National Ornamental Tropical Fish Symposium and Exhibit held in Bio Research, BFAR Director Malcolm Sarmiento, Jr. also announced that the agency’s research station in Lemery, Batangas, will serve as the core hatchery for the production of fingerlings.

In the past many years, ornamental fishes were not given much attention by the government because the priority had always been food fish such as tilapia, bangus, carp and other species.

Dr. Rosa F; Macas, director of BFAR Region 4-A. revealed that as early as 2000, they tried to promote ornamental fish production after observing that the Philippines was importing a lot of goldfish and many other species. The program, however, did not prosper for a number of reasons such as lack of breeders, lack of research and development, lack of facilities and others.

Fortunately, in 2003 Wilson Ang approached the BFAR proposing a collaboration of his firm with the government agency. Collaboration of the two, including the local governments, would really push the program significantly. For one, Bio Research has the technical know-how in breeding and management of ornamental fishes. It has the available breeders as well as the market. Wilson assured that all the technical know-how of Bio Research in connection with ornamental fishes will be openly shared with the public. “No secrets here,” he said.

BIG UNTAPPED MARKET
Wilson sees a big export potential for ornamental fishes if the program could be undertaken in such a way that large volumes could be produced year-round.

The untapped markets are the big hypermarts in the United States and Japan. Wal Mart, Tepco and Petsmart are huge chains in the US with pet sections in their outlets which number by the thousands. Wilson said these chains have been wanting to source their supplies from a major source that could supply them with their requirements throughout the year. As of now, he said, they get their supplies in limited quantities from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan and elsewhere. The supply is not consistent and erratic in availability.

Wilson believes that if the ornamental tropical fish industry could be developed in Laguna Lake and Taal Lake, we can supply the big players in the US. Besides the US, another big market is Japan. As this was being written, Wilson was in the process of negotiating with a big chain of garden stores (with pet sections) in Japan for year-round supply of tropical fishes.

To be sure, all orders will have to be booked ahead of time. The hypermarts will have to indicate their particular requirements, including specific delivery dates, prices and other pertinent details. Bio Research can handle this aspect of the business.

The beauty of growing big volumes of tropical fishes in the two lakes is that proper standards could be set. The superior genetic makeup of the stocks should be maintained so that the fish for export will be more or less uniform and of excellent quality.

What the government should do is to create zones around the two lakes where the small fisherfolk can undertake the growing of tropical fishes. With the guidance of the experts of Bio Research and of the government agencies, the fish farmers will learn the fine points of ornamental fish culture. Ornamental fish
culture is simple and does not require very expensive gadgets, according to Wilson.

THE “BREAD-AND-BUTTER” FISHES
Wilson said that this is the right time to go full blast in the production of the socalled “bread-and-butter” tropical fishes. These include goldfish, angelfish, guppies, mollies, livebearers, cichlids and many others.

He explained that there is a supply gap in these so-called bread-and-butter species. He said that Singapore used to supply the world market with 25 percent of ornamental fishes coming from Southeast Asia. Now, the Singapore growers have shifted from the lower-priced species to high-priced ones like Arowana. The lower-priced fishes usually fetch a few dollars each, or even less than a dollar, in the world market. On the other hand, top quality Arowana could fetch $10,000 each or even more.

There is, therefore, a good chance for the Philippines to supply the void, Wilson said. As of now, according to Dr. Rosa F. Macas, the Philippine share in the world market is only 7.8 percent of those supplied by Southeast Asian countries. The country’s share in the world market is 2.38 percent. So there’s an excellent opportunity for local fish farmers to produce more and sell more to the world market.

THE FOCUS IN CARDONA
The focus in Cardona will be the breeding and production of Japanese carp or koi and goldfish, according to Dr. Macas. These are two of the most popular species in demand here and abroad. Bio Research, for instance, exported to one importer in Canada 30,000 koi last year at a price of less than a dollar each. Since March up to June this year, they have exported more than 20,000 pieces, some of which are bigger than the four to six inches exported last year. Some are 10 inches long. According to Wilson, the Canadian importer will buy about 120,000 pieces in 2007. The good thing about the exports is that there has been practically no mortality in the shipments.

Hopefully, many fish farmers in Cardona and nearby areas will be able to produce koi and goldfish in big volumes so that when a big volume order is received, it will be met immediately.

At the Sucat demo center, different species will be experimented on to find out
the species that local fish farmers can successfully culture.

In another sense, the promotion of ornamental fish production around Laguna Lake is timely since a recent la” mandates that only 10% of the lake’s area could be used for aquaculture. There was a time when 38 percent of the lake’s 90,000 hectares was used for aquaculture. So far, it ha3 been reduced to 14 percent. Even with less space, fish farmers could make more income from ornamental fishes than from tilapia or some other food fish. For instance, a six-inch koi that is worth one dollar would already be the equivalent of a kilo of tilapia.

Hopefully, this could be the beginning of an honest-to-goodness development of the tropical ornamental fish industry in this country.