Pangasius, the New Food to the PilipinosGrowing pangasius is far more easy than growing tilapia and bangus. This freshwater fish can be cultured in fishponds, concrete fish tanks, fish cages and fish pens. For earthen ponds, experts recommend around 1,600 sq. m or at least 400 sq.m. Suitable depth is about 1.5 to two meters.
Pangasius is a tropical warm water catfish that grows to a maximum of 1.3 meters in length and 44 kilograms. It is an air-breathing fish (bi-modal respiration), which enables it to tolerate low dissolved oxygen levels. Under semi-intensive fishpond culture, the fish can reach 1 kilogram harvest weight from 20-gram fingerling within 6 months culture period.
Fast growth and high survival rate offers opportunity for fish farmers to achieve far more production and income per unit area compared to traditional farmed fishes. However, it also has to consume more feeds, thus higher production expenses. Acceptable feed conversion ratio (FCR) for the fish is 1.5. This means 1.5 kilograms of feeds is required to produce 1 kilo of fish.
Farming pangasius
Culture requirements and methods for pangasius are very similar to those of tilapia. It can be grown in fishponds and fish cages. It can also be polycultured or can be grown in integrated and organic farming culture system.
BFAR-NIFTC recommends stocking density at five pieces per square meter for fishponds and five to 15 pieces per cubic meter for fish cages. Feeding rate starts at 5 percent of body weight down to 2.5 percent at the end of six-month culture period. Feeding is done twice daily.
Projected net income from a 1,000 square meter fishpond is P121,216.00 from expenses of P165,613.00 pesos at farm gate price of 90 pesos. There are available commercial pangasius feeds in the market however, tilapia feeds can also be used.
Fish farmers can cut production expenses by using "kuhol" or Golden apple snail as feed supplement as shown by a research conducted by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Regional Office No. 02 in Cabarroguis, Quirino. Considered as pest in rice fields, kuhol is an ideal supplemental feeds for pangasius due to its high protein content of about 54 percent.
The research has shown that higher income can be achieved by using 40 percent kuhol mixed with 60 percent commercial feeds. The harvest weight using this feeding scheme was 712.5 grams.
Dr. Jovita Ayson, BFAR-2 regional director, said that the fish can also be fed with vegetable and fruit trimmings and surplus and rice bran under organic culture system.
“Pangasius can be turned to so many dishes just like the locally available fishes that we are used to and it is also advantageous since it is meaty, has no intermuscular spines with good quality flesh.â€
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