Cage and pen culture of finfish have been traditionally practised in some parts of Asia. In the early stages of fish cage culture, it was used primarily for cultivating freshwater species. Within the last decade, however, there has been a significant and rapid development in these two systems for aquaculture in both marine and freshwater. It has gained increasing popularity as the systems are perhaps among the most productive and hold the most promise for intensive culture.
Most of current aquaculture practices in the region are land-based and there is growing concern that the availability of land near sources of adequate water supply is becoming a limiting factor. Under present conditions, therefore, the application of cage and pen culture has become significant towards increasing the production of fish to meet the animal protein demand of growing human populations. As mentioned, this practice is being applied in both marine and freshwater conditions, e.g. Hong Kong for marine cage and the Philippines for freshwater pen culture. In Southeast Asia, there is a great potential for further development and expansion of these methods utilizing coastal areas (lagoons, coves, inlets and bays); lakes, rivers and in reservoirs. There will therefore be greater opportunities for fishfarmers to increase their incomes, since the activity could be done in small-scale which could be a supplement or an alternative to other economic activities. The development of cage/pen culture for marine fish would also help to substantially increase employment opportunities for poor fishermen; cage culture does not require high initial capital costs. Considering all these factors, the governments of various developing countries in the region have expressed great interest in this innovation in aquaculture.
In these developing countries where cage/pen culture have been initiated or are currently practiced, steps should be taken to provide the necessary technical support. There is a need to extend the knowledge on the latest methods of cage/pen culture. In order to obtain skilled personnel to develop the potential of this field in the countries of the region, a training course would be a very useful contribution.
The course was carried out to train technicians and extension workers in the different countries in Asia and the Pacific region in practical methods and techniques in cage and pen culture. Participants from countries with active programmes in this field and where prospect of development of this activity is held possible were invited.
To increase food fish production and enhance the welfare of rural communities by providing local qualified expertise and skilled manpower in the field of pen/cage culture.
To provide diversification of fishing activities and open greater employment opportunities for coastal fishermen.
To offer a practical training course on cage and pen culture of finfish and on the operation and management of these systems using facilities in existing institutions in the Southeast Asian region.
The training course was organized by the FAO/UNDP Training in Food and Cash Crops Production for Countries in Asia and the Pacific (RAS/79/041) implemented through the South China Sea Fisheries Development and Coordinating Programme (RAS/74/013) which sponsored eleven participants. In addition, the existing GCP/INS/056/CAN project in Indonesia and the FAO/ BOBP in Thailand supported four and two participants, respectively.
In the implementation, the Philippine Government through the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department and the Laguna Lake Development Authority, and the Government of Hong Kong through the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries hosted the training.
The training was conducted in the Lakeview Hotel and Freshwater Fisheries
Research Station at Los Ba
os, Laguna, Philippines from October 26 to 31,
1981 and in the Aberdeen Fisheries Research Station in Hong Kong from
November 1 to 12, 1981.
Seventeen participants from seven countries, namely, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand attended the course. Eleven participants were sponsored by the SCSP in addition to the six participants sponsored by other projects in Indonesia and Thailand. Three countries from the Pacific which were also invited to the training course were not able to participate. India did not participate due to late submission of nominee.
The names and addresses of the participants by country are listed in Annex A.
The training programme consisted of lectures, demonstrations, practical exercises, field trips and open discussions.
The detailed schedule of the training course is shown in Annex B.
The list of lectures, demonstrations, practicum and field trips is presented in Annex C.
The opening ceremony of the training course (Annex D) was held in the
conference hall of the Lakeview Hotel in Los Baos, Laguna, Philippines on
26 October 1981. It was attended by the Mayor of Los Baos, Mr. Andrew
Nocon; the Director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources,
Mr. Felix R. Gonzales; Acting General Manager of the Laguna Lake Development
Authority, Mr. Teodoro B. Baguilat; SCSP Programme Leader, Mr. Arthur
G. Woodland; SCSP Sr. Fisheries Training/Extension Officer, Mr. Vincentius
Soesanto; SCSP Aquaculture Consultant, Dr. Herminio R. Rabanal; SCSP Small-Scale
Fisheries Adviser, Dr. William L. Chan; and the Training Course
Director, Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III.
Mayor Nocon welcomed the participants, and remarks/addresses were made by Messrs. Guerrero (on behalf of the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department), Baguilat, Woodland and Gonzales (Annex E).
The training was officially opened by Mr. Felix R. Gonzales, Director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
The training course was divided into two parts. The first part on Pen Culture of Freshwater Finfish conducted in the Philippines dealt on site selection, lake water quality and productivity assessment, design and construction of fishpens, species for culture, management and maintenance of pen culture units, diagnosis and prevention of fish kills in pens, harvesting/post-harvesting technology and marketing, environmental impact of pen culture operations and administrative problems and the economics of pen culture as an industry (Working Papers 1–9, Part II). To supplement the lectures and acquaint the participants with laboratory techniques and farming practices, laboratory and field demonstrations, as well as exercises were conducted (Part III).
In the second part of the course, Cage Culture of Marine Finfish was taken up in Hong Kong. Lectures were made on selection of suitable site for cage culture, design of rafts and cages and materials used, species of fish cultured, feeds and feeding, fish diseases diagnosis and control, environmental impact of cage culture operation, control of fouling organisms, harvesting and marketing, economics of cage culture, and mariculture legislation and regulatory work (Working Papers 10–19, Part II). Field demonstrations and laboratory exercises related to the lectures were also performed (Part III). In the exercises, emphasis on raft and cage construction and water quality analysis was made to provide the participants with more skill and experience.
During the training course, the participants prepared and presented their respective country experience reports on pen/cage culture of finfish which were discussed in the sessions. The country reports are presented in Part IV of this report.
A total of six field trips to small-scale and commercial farms
were made during the course. In the Philippines, the participants had a
boat tour of the small-scale milkfish pens in the Los Baos area to observe
different types of designs, construction materials and practices applied.
In a visit to the tilapia cage farms in Sampaloc Lake, San Pablo City, the
floating type cage and methods of culture were discussed by the participants
with some fishfarmers. The participants also visited commercial land-based
and water-based freshwater fish hatcheries/nurseries and the SEAFDEC
Binangonan Research Station where they were briefed on the research and
extension activities of the station in relation to pen and cage culture of
finfish.
In Hong Kong, small-scale marine cage farms for grouper and sea bream in Sok Kwu Wan were visited by the participants. Farmers were interviewed and close-hand observations on farming practices, cage design and construction were made. In the visit to the Kat O Marine Station of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, the participants collected water samples and took part in exercises on raft and cage construction. On the last field trip of the group, visits were made to several fresh and livefish markets for freshwater and marine species to observe handling, transport and marketing practices. The trip was capped with a visit to one of the largest commercial marine cage farms in Hong Kong - the Hong Kong Fish Farming, Inc. In the farm, the group was briefed on the commercial operations, including the hatchery for grouper and sea bream. The farm produces about 150 tons of fish annually.
Discussions were made among the participants after each lecture, demonstration/exercise and field trip with the guidance of the lecturers. The topics discussed were as follows:
Pen Culture of Finfish
Suitable species of fish for culture in participants' countries
Available materials for pen construction
Suitable sites for pen culture
Production constraints such as scarcity of fry, high cost of labor and social problems
Cage Culture of Marine Fish
Site selection
Scarcity of fry
High cost of trash fish for feeding
Disease problems
Need for marine regulation and legislation
In the discussions, the participants freely expressed their views on the topics and exchanged experiences. The participants also recommended the holding of a similar training course in the future with more emphasis on farm/culture methods and the involvement of more countries where the technologies are applicable.
At the end of the course, the participants were asked to evaluate the course by filling out questionnaires. In general, the participants found the training course well-organized and useful. New knowledge and experiences were gained by many of the participants from the lectures, exercises and field trips which could be applied in their respective countries. The facilities used in the course were rated good and the training personnel, very competent and cooperative.
The participants suggested that more time was needed for the course and that additional field trips and exercises on such aspects as pen construction and fish harvesting would improve the programme.
The closing ceremony of the course was held at the Ruby Restaurant in Hong Kong on 12 November 1981 as scheduled. Mr. Roy Chilvers, Assistant Director of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department officially closed the programme.
