EARTH FLAVOR IN TILAPIA

From March to August, it is common to find freshwater tilapia to have a taste li

ke soil or earth. It was researched on and found out that at UP Los Banos as wel
l as SEAFDEC, Iloilo, that this is caused by a kind of water plant or seaweed th
at the tilapia eat.
This earthy taste can be removed if the fish is soaked in pure lambanog (coconut
or palm wine) one hour before cooking. At SEAFDEC, the dish are raised first in
a tank where they are deprived of food for six hours, to cleanse their intestin
es. Then these are transferred to another tank for 3 days, where the water is ch
anged several times until the earthy taste is gone. This lasts from one to two w
eeks.
GOOD BREEDING FOR FISH
To breed fish, the following should be considered, as tried by experts:
1. The depth level of the pond must be lower than that of the sea or river to
allow water to enter the pond level at low tide.
2. The bottom of the breeding pond must consist of lime or compost, about 16%
.
3. The pH must be between 7-8. ( Consult the Bureau of Soils)
4. The bottom earth must be clayey so as to retain water.
5. There must be two outlets to facilitate the entrance and outgoing of water
.
6. One part of the bottom must be a little higher than the other side to make
harvest of fish easy.
7. Dig canals around 15 cm. deep around the pond for water to flow in. This w
ill provide outlet for dirt and other things that may fall into the dike.
8. The dike should be strong against the pressure of water from the crabs and
eels that may destroy and enlarge its holes, and high enough to protect from ov
erflow during strong rain.
LIME FOR FISH PONDS
Fishes In Europe and Asia, fish raisers have learned that the application of lim
e on fish ponds help a lot in the growth and reproduction of the fish therein, e
specially in water levels that have low calcium content. Like the application of
fertilizer, lime is applied on the ponds. The most commonly available are those
used on land-ground lime, and either calcite (CaCO3) or dolomite (CaMg (CO3)2).
As early as 1975, this has been studied in the Auburn University of Alabama (USA
) on five fishponds that were treated with lime and five others not treated with
lime but fertilized with ammonium nitrate and trisuperphosphate every two weeks
. It was seen that plants growing in the ponds with lime flourished, and the fis
h increased by 25%. This was also tried in Malaysia as early as 1962 where the t
ilapia they raised in ponds increased by 10% with the application of lime.
ACIDIC FISHPOND
After a strong rain, it is common to see dead fish floating on a fish pond. This
is because of poisoning from the acid coming from the ponds bottom. This is com
mon among soils that contains much sulfur or sulfide compound. According to rese
archers, when this kind of soil is exposed to the air in summer, its sulfur cont
ent mixes with the oxygen in the air and becomes poisonous sulfuric acid (that i
s lethal even to humans).
When it rains, the water becomes poison for the fish because acid in the water a
ctivated some substances like iron and aluminum, which mingles with the water. I
n such cases, water in the fish pond should first be analyzed at the Bureau of S
oils. The remedy for this is to apply lime and animal manure to counteract the e
xisting acid.

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rebecca's fish ponds
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When I started writing this column, I mentioned that we were starting a prawn fa
rm up in Abulug. Since that time, several readers have asked me for an update, a
nd this posting is about the latest regarding the ponds and the business, along
with pictures.
So, a bit about the business. There are 29 hectares of land, including the fish
pan (over water). The land is located near the Abulug river, around 100 meters f
rom the mouth of one of the delta tributaries, so the water is brackish (1/2 sal
t and ½ fresh). Access is only by boat, from the Abulug Centro fishing port. We ha
ve two bancas with 3 hp motors for transport, and will begin building a bridge t
o the shore for land / truck access this summer. Here is the location from Googl
e Earth:
abulug-location
The ponds are in the red area
The ponds are in the red area
Currently, we started with four ponds, with plans for around 20. They currently
hold tilapia, with future ponds to hold around ½ for prawns and ½ for tilapia, since
tilapia grow quickly, take well to the water quality, and are in greater demand
locally. Once the land was surveyed, the land was cleared by hand and carabao,
and the first four ponds had to be dug by hand, since access by backhoe would re
quire a barge and cost over 100,000 pesos, with the dikes and levees being aroun
d 1 meter tall. The remaining land has been planted with corn and monggo in orde
r to provide the family some income while the fish business has the profits rein
vested into more ponds. Buko seedlings have been planted around the perimeter o
f the land to provide income (Seven years) and natural fencing. The farming task
s also lets us keep the workers busy during the times that the fish are not bein
g harvested, moved, or stocked. As the ponds produce more income with each harv
est, the money will be reinvested into developing new ponds and cementing and up
dating the existing ponds. First harvest, with home delivery (business delivery)
to customers is in two months.
Some points in our business plan, and requirements.
Personnel: Biggest challenge is finding staff. Unfortunately, in the province, n
early everyone has at least a small plot of land. Everyone harvests at the same
time, so there are few available workers. I provide financing. Becky provides ad
ministration. Her brother, Kuya Jun, oversees the workers and decides everything
about the physical operations. Rebecca s brother Nito stays at the ponds with the
 workers, helping where needed. Currently, there are six workers and their famil
ies on site. More can be brought in temporarily. Rebecca s brother Zaldy will eve
ntually join the business once there is a stable income.
Education: All of Rebecca s brothers took aquaculture classes from the Bureau of F
isheries. They know the biology and mechanics. I began networking with fish farm
ers at the start. After much talk, I determined that the farm is too small for u
s to be big players , but we can always buy more land in the future.
Our Goal: To earn enough income for the family to be self-sufficient (near term)
. Long term, once all 20 ponds are operating (5 years), we project revenues of a
round 10 million pesos per year. This is tentative, and must be shared. In terms
of a Western business, very small scale.
Challenges: The biggest risk is the lack of business education in the province.
SWOT analysis
* Strengths: Family land, so little capital needed for initial purposes. Kno
wledge about fish farming. Dedicated managers .
* Weaknesses: Land size too small. Lack of business acumen in the province.
* Opportunities: Big demand We can sell all we produce. Flexibility in trying
new products, like raising abalone or starting a hatchery.
* Threats: Theft. Official corruption. Slim threat of competition, since a s
uccessful farm will sprout imitators (Very little aquaculture in that region). S
lim threat of NPA activity (Hopefully, very slim.)
Costs (To date):
* US$5,000 for clearing land and digging ponds.
* US$1,000 for surveys.
* US$1,000 for equipment (Bancas, barbed wire, building materials, pumps).
* US$1,000 for fry, feeds, seeds, fertilizers.
* US$5,000 for labor (First 9 months).
Not too bad to start. Total US$13,000 upfront costs.
Future Plans and Costs:
* Digging 16 ponds at US$2,000 each. (US$32,000)
* Cementing 20 ponds and the required pumping system (Typhoon protection) US
$10,000 each (US$200,000).
* DENR permits and environmental studies (once we re above subsistence level)
US$10,000
* Truck purchase (US$20,000)
* Bridge construction (US$2,000)
* Ice House and Ice making Equipment (US$20,000)
* Hatchery Equipment (US$20,000)
As you can see above, future plans will require US$304,000 at today s prices. That
is 1 1/2 year s production if all 20 ponds are producing. (Each can produce aroun
d 5,000 surviving fish (25%). Once the ponds are cemented, the survival rate inc
reases, but so does the feeding cost. We project a realistic 10 years for our go
als to be met. (Technically, I m supposed to be paid back my investment. I m in no rus
h, nor is Becky. We just keep our original goal in mind. Expansion and developme
nt will be completed as the farm produces Step-by-step. There are no guarantees.
We are also, subject to the weather just like any other farm. Some pictures, alo
ng with descriptions: