The High Value Fishpond Pest

By Roberto Garcia 

LAST week I wrote about a fishpond pest that can be used to control spread of dengue-carrying mosquitoes. Now let me tell you about other “pests” that apparently have beneficial effects if not monetary value.

In my fishpond, I have observed a persistently-growing seaweed which, according to my caretaker, can cause harm to the cultured bangus when this plants dies and deteriorates. Locals call this plant taliktik and they usually remove it from the ponds together with other pests. However, this plant is a desirable species for culture (only that the local folks do not know it) since it has many commercial uses and thus has a great demand in the local and foreign markets.

The seaweed is known as the red algae Gracilaria, which has many industrial uses besides being a suitable feed for fish culture. In some places, it is eaten as salad served with tomatoes, onions and other spices. Primarily, it is the source of agar which is the raw material for making gelatin such as gulaman, stabilizers for ice cream, chocolates, toothpaste, and several other industrial products. Likewise, it is a good natural feed in farming rabbitfish (malaga), abalone and bangus. Yes, it is fed upon by bangus as I have observed in the pond during the daytime. In fact, during the old days, bangus growers around Manila Bay used to collect and grow Gracilaria to feed their fish.

The seaweed is farmed using the hanging method in the open sea in the Philippines and Thailand. In Taiwan, where tons are harvested annually, it is cultured in fishponds.

There is a great potential for this seaweed to be commercially farmed in the Lingayen Gulf where there are many protected coves such as in Bolinao, Anda, Alaminos, and Sual. Here in Dagupan this could be grown in ponds where it is known to grow naturally and abundantly. In San Fabian, there is a season where people collect them offshore and dry them. When a certain amount of dried seaweed is collected and stored, a buyer comes in and deals them to the processing plants.

In fishponds, there are a lot of things (some of them considered as pest or waste) that have potential for making money or producing food besides the traditional bangus and sugpo. By being resourceful and open to technological information, you can maintain a productive and profitable fishpond operation.

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