Philippines: Researchers close the life cycle for round scad

In a world’s first, researchers successfully spawned the round scad (Decapterus macrosoma) in captivity at SEAFDEC/AQD in Tigbauan, Iloilo, marking a critical milestone towards farming the fish, locally known as galunggong. Round scad is considered a staple fish in the Philippines with over 202,000 metric tonnes harvested by commercial and municipal fisheries in 2020, according to government statistics. However, the haul could not keep up with market demand leading to increasing prices, now reaching $5 to $6 per kg, and controversial moves to import the fish amid closed fishing seasons. “Our breeders have been spawning continuously since December last year until this February, and we now have thousands of galunggong in different larval to early juvenile stages at our hatchery which we hope to further grow to market sizes to prove that we can farm galunggong,” said SEAFDEC/AQD chief Dan Baliao in an interview last on 28 February 2022. Researcher Ma. Irene Cabanilla-Legaspi said ...