5,000 fish cages to take Philippine milkfish industry to next level

Five thousand fish cages are what it takes to further push the Philippine milkfish industry, said Manny Piñol, a former Philippine agriculture chief. This recent social media post once again reignited the topic on further improving the Philippine milkfish industry. Each of the circular fish cages, made of fiberglass and PVC pipes, could accommodate 80,000 milkfish fingerlings. Total production yield of the 5,000 fish cages is an estimated 100,000 metric tons. Reaching this point necessitates a holistic approach – addressing the perennial shortage of Philippine-produced fry, funding support by government and government financing institutions, affordable aquafeeds and having a ready market. Similar points were stressed in the Philippine Milkfish Industry Roadmap 2021-2040, a government-private sector collaboration. Milkfish a popular food fish in the Philippines. However, production is perennially hounded by lack of locally produced fry. Heavy importation, especially from Indonesia, ...