Tilapia fishes were found tastier when these are given natural food than commercial fish feeds.
This was the contention of fishery officials in Cagayan Valley as they spearheaded a recent training on 45-day delayed feeding technology.
Hermogenes Tambalque III, extension chief of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said this new technology aims to cut expenses of fishpond operators on commercial feeds, which, according to studies, account for as much as 70 percent to 80 percent of total production cost.
"This technology takes advantage of the fact that tilapia, by nature, feeds on phytoplanktons [minute plants]. By delaying by 45 days the onset of introducing commercial feeds, we can save as much as five bags, or roughly P3,500 in today's prices," he said.
The delay in feeding does not adversely affect the overall growth of the fish stocks and actually enhances cost-benefit ratio for budget-conscious tilapia farmers, he added.
Tilapia fingerlings would have difficulty digesting artificial feeds and that supply of natural food in the pond, given right fertilization, will still be abundant at the early stages of culture period, Tambalque added.
"A key to this technology is the thorough fertilization of the pond in order to promote growth of planktons, which, in turn, serve as food for the fish," Tambalque said.
A 500-sq-m fishpond demonstration project of farmer Ramon Gutierrez in barangay Rizal here has produced 354 kilos of tilapia at five to six pieces a kilo within more than four-month culture period.
The fishpond project was stocked with a total of 2,500 size 22 Get Excel-species tilapia fingerlings.
Recommended fertilization rate is five bags of chicken manure during pond preparation and 15 kg of inorganic fertilizer (16-20-0) for maintenance.
Total production cost is P13,500 compared with around 17,000 for normal semi-intensive culture of tilapia in similar area.
Gutierrez, also a rice farmer, said that early failure due to lack of basic knowledge almost made him quit fish farming.
"My first venture was a failure, as the stocks matured early and growth was not within the ideal range.
Fortunately, our technician from the LGU encouraged me to attend a season-long training being held then by the Regional Fisheries Training Center at Cabarroguis town. With improved knowledge and skills, I revived my project and was glad to finally make a nice profit out of it," the farmer related.
Gutierrez encouraged fellow farmers to venture into tilapia farming even as he expressed interest in expanding his area.
Apart from his fishpond, the farmer also rents an adjacent communal fishpond.
"In addition to 45-day delayed feeding, we also offer other technologies like polyculture and use of duckweeds that our farmers can choose from to enable them to cut on feed cost and maintain or enhance productivity," Dr. Jovita Ayson, regional director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, said.
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