Ensuring year-round milkfish production in the Philippines

“The shortage of milkfish seeds is more pronounced in the Philippines between November and February when the weather becomes too cold for breeders to lay eggs,” said SEAFDEC chief Dan Baliao. “Thermal manipulation is necessary to help milkfish hatcheries stay productive during the four-month off-season by ensuring a continuous supply of seed.” In order to induce broodstock to spawn, SEAFDEC scientists installed water heaters in a 500-tonne tank housing over 100 milkfish, raising the temperature to at least 29 °C from November to February. Data from the SEAFDEC/AQD hatchery show that milkfish (which are commonly referred to as bangus in the Philippines) normally only spawn between March and October when the weather, and consequently the water, is warmer. From November to February, the hatchery was essentially unproductive due to lower water temperature. Using thermal manipulation in the research centre’s demonstration facility, SEAFDEC/AQD collected about 2.9 million good eggs, ...