Tateh NewsFeed - Agrilink 2011 Issue

NEWSFEED A technical publication of Santeh Feeds Corporation

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Taal Lake’s Tilapia Sekretong Tateh

3 months lang

Harvest na!

New

Pre-Starter Slow-Sinking Feed for deep culture systems

Agrilink 2011 Issue

“Better Science

Better Fish ” Better

Life

Trends in

Hito & Shrimp Farming

A Glimpse of Cagayan’s

Rabbitfish Culture

“Better Science The heading of this editorial was the theme of the 9th Asian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum (AFAF) Conference held in Shanghai, China last April 2011 where academics and practitioners in fisheries came from all over the world. Santeh joined this event by putting up the first international booth of Tateh Aqua Feeds at the trade-fair exhibition area the only feed brand from the Philippines present in the said event.

Santeh is the maker of Tateh Aqua Feeds, the leading aqua feed brand in the Philippines and its feedmill has an ISO: 9001 certification for quality operation, making it ready to export to the rest of the world. As such it is among the first to appreciate how true and how appropriate the theme of the AFAF Forum is for the fisheries industry as a whole whether this be in capture or culture fisheries.

We tend to take for granted how science has helped transform our lives for the better. In aquaculture better science means better and sustainable ways to propagate and grow fish, better feeds, better ways to keep the fish healthy, better ways to harvest, transport, process and package fish. Better fish on the other hand implies not only reliable supply of good quality fry and fast growing fish but also fish that is safe, wholesome, affordable and at the same time profitable to grow. Finally better lives implies not only a well fed population but also one that is no longer mired in poverty, in this instance, for those who are involved in fish production.

Here in the Philippines our institutions have made contributions to better science. In the past the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources showed how productivity in brack-

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Agrilink 2011 Issue

Better Fish Better

by Daniel Cabrera

ishwater fishponds can be increased by the simple act of applying fertilizers. The bureau also developed the systematic process of deboning milkfish which gave rise to the “boneless bangus”. We also should not forget BFAR’s role in developing and promoting the seaweed culture technology. Now BFAR is flooding the country with fingerlings of GET-EXCEL tilapia and making the culture of fish in marine waters sustainable through the mariculture park where proper spacing of cages and correct stocking densities can be better enforced.

The breakthrough in the breeding of sugpo in captivity was achieved by the MSU College of Fisheries in Naawan, Misamis Oriental and that in bangus breeding by the SEAFDEC Aquaulture Department in Tigbauan, Iloilo. CLSU in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija is continuously

Life

”

producing improved strain of tilapia. and developing vaccines against fish diseases. UPV College of Fisheries and Oceanic Science in Miagao, Iloilo continues to provide top caliber graduates in fisheries. All these institutions deserve our commendation. Because of better science through research the fish feeds that are now available are more stable in water, more digestible when eaten by the fish and results in better yields. And in this aspect Tateh Aquafeeds is doing its share.

It is in producing “better lives” that the result has been mixed. The “better science” have made bangus and tilapia more abundant and affordable to the extent that tilapia has replaced the galunggong as the fish for the masses.

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NEWSFEED

is a publication of Santeh Feeds Corporation For inquiries, comments, and suggestions, please write to: NEWSFEED c/o Santeh Feeds Corporation Room 601 West Trade Center 132 West Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines 1104 Telephone: +632.375.1563 Fax: +632.374.8031 Email: tateh.online@gmail.com URL: www.tateh.com Blog: http://tateh-aquafeeds.blogspot.com/

Phillip Ong H.C. Yean Ma. Patricia Rico Editorial Advisers

Daniel V. Cabrera Gellie R. Naig Ariel A. Reputola Kristine E. Santillan Lovela C. Tinambunan Cecelle James R. Zate Contributors

Wilfredo Yap Editor Dennis Rito Design and Layout

Visit us on the web – www.tateh.com

Tateh Premium Extrusink

positively impacts

Taal Lake’s Tilapia

by Cecelle James Zate

I

n the fish cages in Taal Lake where stocking density ranges from 100-150 pcs/m2, the nutritional quality of feeds is of primary importance. Taal lake is also oligotrophic in nature and is therefore low in natural productivity.

These two factors were considered in the development of Tateh Premium Extrusink.

Premium Extrusink is a “hybrid“ form of Premium sinker pellet – it has the same proximate analysis as Tateh sinker pellets but differ in that they are extruded instead of being pelletized.

Farmers notice improvements on their yield of as much as 10% of biomass compared to that obtained using sinker pellets.

Farmers notice improvements in their yield of as much as 10% of biomass compared to that obtained using sinker pellets and an improvement in the FCR by as much as 0.3 to 0.5. Every 0.1 improvement in the FCR level translates to 3 pesos per kilogram difference in the feed cost per kilo.

Although the days of culture remain the same, higher yield and better feed efficiency are achieved using Tateh Premium Extrusink.

Farmers also observe that the tilapia becomes easier to feed with Extrusink because the fish tend to go to the surface of the cage during feeding time. Feed monitoring therefore is easier. Furthermore, because of its slow-sinking characteristics, Extrusink can feed the fish population in the entire water column simultaneously without much feed wasted as compared to ordinary sinking feeds. Because of such characteristics, the fish stock is more evenly fed therefore resulting in a more uniform size during harvest.

Premium Extrusink is also environment-friendly. During feed production, the extrusion process cooks the ingredients at much higher temperatures which make the feed more digestible. The result is that more of the feed is converted into fish instead of going to waste as faeces.

Agrilink 2011 Issue

3

BFAR Region I develops

Mechanical Fish Sorter T

he Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Office Regional Fisheries Office I (BFAR RFOI) has developed a mechanical fish sorter. The fish sorter was on display at the Regional Mariculture Technology Demonstration Center in Lucap, Alaminos, Pangasinan and shown to the Agriculture Secretary and guests during the Farmers and Fisherfolk Forum with Sec. Proceso J. Alcala last July 22, 2011.

The sorter is capable of sorting milkfish into nine size groups: from above 500g, to less than 200g size in 50 gram intervals. It has a maximum sorting speed of approximately 30 fish per minute. According to BFAR RFOI Director Nestor D. Domenden, the machine on display is a prototype and was inspired by a locally developed mechanical egg sorter that was on display at the Agrilink-Aqualink 2010. RFOI technologists contacted and worked with the Pasay-based manufacturer of the egg sorter to design a machine to sort fish adapting the same basic design used to sort eggs.

Being a prototype, no figures are available yet as to how much it may cost once commercially produced. Improvements are still being introduced to increase the speed. Intellectual property rights are also still being worked out.

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Agrilink 2011 Issue

With Tateh Surfer:

3 months lang, Harvest na!

by Ariel Reputola

R

udy Inog of Lubao, Pampanga is one happy tilapia farmer. Most farmers have to wait four to five months to harvest their tilapia in fishponds at 4 to 5 pieces a kilo.

Not Rudy. It took him only all of three months to get his fish to the market. How did he do it? Simple, really. He stocked size 17 fingerlings instead of size 20 to 22 like most fishpond operators do. And he fed his fish with Tateh Surfer. He stocked his 7,000 m2 well-prepared fishpond with 35,000 pieces Size 17 fingerlings and got a harvest of 4.57 tons with a 78% survival rate in three months and an FCR of 1.1. The harvest size ranged from 150-160 grams which was the preferred size at the time of harvest. With a farm-gate price of 57 pesos a kilo, the Rudy managed to earn 98,000 pesos with an ROI of 60%. Imagine how much more he would have earned had the farm gate price been higher!

There are many lessons we can learn from Rudy’s experience – all having to do with the element of time. First, you can shorten the growing period by stocking larger size fingerlings. Second, you harvest as soon as your fish has reached the preferred size in the market. Third, with shorter culture period, farmers can reduce the risks of exposure to natural calamities as well as to other hazards like abrupt water quality problems which may result in fish kills. Fourth, your production cost is reduced since shorter growing period also means less feeds used. Almost 75% of the feed is in the grower and finisher stage.

At an average of 3 bags per day consumption, one month reduction in the growing period translates to a total savings of 90 bags of feeds! With a faster turnover the number of crops per year can also be increased from three to four.

Farmers should however be careful about the quality of the large size fingerlings. Some may actually consist of stunted stock that will no longer grow. To be certain of the quality tilapia farmers can operate their own nurseries to produce their own fingerlings. This is common practice for milkfish in brackishwater fishponds but not yet practiced in tilapia fishponds where direct stocking from size 20/22 tilapia is still common. Nursery operation to grow size 22 tilapia fingerlings to size 17 or 14 has been made simpler with the emergence of Tateh micro floating feed technology. With Tateh Fry Booster and Pre-starter feeds, the farmer is assured of healthier, hardier, and high survival fingerlings that are able to cope with environmental

Tateh Aqua Feeds through its quality products like Surfer Floating can help farmers in achieving their quest for higher farming productivity. stress in shallow fishponds due to sudden changes in the environment.

Tilapia cage operators in Lake Taal already use large fingerlings. This has resulted in the development of the tilapia nursery business in Laurel, Batangas. In other countries like Vietnam and Indonesia, tilapia and pangasius nurseries are set-up as separate businesses apart from hatchery and grow-out systems. It will be ideal if this practice becomes more common throughout the Philippines.

Tateh Aqua Feeds through its quality products like Surfer Floating can help farmers in achieving their quest for higher farming productivity. Tateh Surfer can give farmers an FCR ranging from 0.8-1.1 depending on farm location, pond preparation, size at stocking and feeding management. Surfer feeds is available to suit the tilapia at various stages of growth: Pre-starter, Starter, Grower and Finisher.

Agrilink 2011 Issue

5

Farming Hito made more convenient with

Tateh Catfish Feed N

o more chicken entrails from poultry dressing plants or fish entrails from the wet markets. No more mess, no more smell! Raising hito or catfish is now as easy as raising tilapia with the ready availability of specially formulated feed from Tateh Aquafeeds.

African hito scientifically known as Clarias gariepinus is the species commonly cultured here in the Philippines. Although native catfish Clarias macrocephalus is considered more delicious, it is not attractive to farmers because of its slow growth and smaller size compared to the African variety. Hito is now becoming a favorite item for grills and restaurants where they are served inihaw style (charcoal broiled) at 80-100 pesos per piece! Major market for hito include Northern Luzon and parts of Central Luzon.

by Lovela Tinambunan

The catfish is very hardy and can survive even in poor water quality and fishponds with poor oxygen level. Catfish has an air-breathing arborescent organ that enables them to breathe atmospheric oxygen. It can still survive in waters with DO reading as low as 0.1ppm giving the growers less fear for fishkill due to DO problem. Some farmers even consider hito as best species during this period of climate change. Farmers should however be aware that although hito can survive in poor water quality, growth and survival are still compromised in poor water quality. It is therefore important for farmers to always provide the ideal water quality for growth even for hito.

Hito is a favourite species for the live market because it is very easy to transport live and has an almost 100% survival rate given proper water exchange. For this reason and because of higher farm-gate price at 80-90 pesos per kilo, many tilapia growers in Bulacan, Pampanga, Isabela and Laguna converted their farms from tilapia to hito. Many farmers in Bulacan still use pellets and wet feeds in the culture system for hito. Tateh Catfish Feeds are utilized at the earlier stage while wet feeds are used in the latter part of the grow-out.

In the hatchery, artificial fertilization is commonly practiced. The male hito is sacrificed in order to harvest the milt to fertilize the eggs which were stripped from the ripe females. Catfish is basically carnivorous in nature requiring the growers to do frequent sizing at an early stage of culture to avoid cannibalism. Even with segregation, survival is still low at 50-60% in most farms.

Hito is a favourite species for the live market because it is very easy to transport live and has an almost 100% survival rate given proper water exchange.

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Agrilink 2011 Issue

Rabbitfish (Siganids) Cage Culture in Cagayan

by Ariel Reputola

L

ooking for a more profitable species to culture in cages? Why not try malaga? Alex Fariñas in Mala Weste, Buguey, Cagayan province did just that. He used to culture only milkfish.

Malaga, spotted siganid, or rabbitfish, is commonly cultured in fishponds and cages in northern Luzon on an extensive basis. It is a marine fish belonging to the family Siganidae. It is a herbivorous species that feeds on seaweeds, algae and is known to also be capable of feeding on terrestrial plants such as waste vegetables from the market. They can adapt to a wide variety of food and can be easily trained to feed on formulated feeds such as Tateh Rabbitfish feeds. Clogging of nets is not a problem as Malaga love to graze on algae growing on the net cage.

It is a prized fish desired by the Ilocanos for its tasty and tender meat. In Ilocos and Cagayan, malaga can be sold at 200 to 280 pesos a kilo while in Dagupan consignacion, it sells at 180-200 pesos per kilo depending on the season. In Malabon market, it can be sold at 180 pesos at any quantity.

Alex used two cages one measuring 5 m by 10 m and another 6 m by 10 m, both with a depth of 3 m. The cages were set in Buguey lagoon. The larger cage (60 m2) was stocked with 15,000 malaga fingerlings, while the smaller

Malaga can adapt to a wide variety of food and can be easily trained to feed on formulated feeds such as Tateh Rabbitfish feeds. cage (50 m2) with 8,000 fingerlings. Total harvesting was done in the smaller cage while partial harvesting over a period of a few weeks was done in the larger cage. Alex harvested a 1,400 kg from the smaller cage and a total of 2,100 kg from the larger one. In both cages the ABW at harvest ranges from 5 to 6 pieces per kilo. Using Tateh Rabbitfish Feed, the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) was 2.3 as shown in the table (see next page).

Malaga growers in Luzon rely on wild-caught fry. These are caught during the summer months. These are commonly grown up to “posporo” or matchbox size for two to three months in ponds before stocking them in cages. By that time, they would have grown to 25 to 30 g by feeding mainly on filamentous green algae or lumut. At that size they can be cultured in high stocking densities of more than 50pcs/m3 with high survival of up to 85%. (Hatchery reared fry are available year round on a regular basis only

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Agrilink 2011 Issue

7

Updates on Culturing Pacific White Shrimp

by Lovela Tinambunan

T

he culture of the Pacific white-shrimp (which is often locally referred to only by its specific name vannamei) appears to be getting more popular. Vannamei culture used to be found mostly in Zambales, Calatagan (Batangas), Bacolod and General Santos where they were and are still being cultured on an intensive and semi-intensive basis. It is now cultured in the entire country even in traditional fishponds often in polyculture with fin fishes. Most brackishwater fishpond areas originally stocked with tilapia or milkfish are now stocked with vannamei as well in

order to raise fishpond incomes and profit. With a farmgate price ranging from PhP 150 to PhP 250 per kilo, the vannmei indeed can bring in extra cash to the traditional milkfish or tilapia farmer.

In Zambales, most of the vannamei farms have Taiwanese investors. With adequate financing the farms are oper-

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Rabbitfish Cage Culture ... Continued from page 7 Malaga culture in cages, Buguey River, Mala Weste, Buguey, Cagayan Province Cage Size Date of Stocking Number of Stocks ABW during stocking Survival DOC ABW at Harvest Volume of Harvest Volume of Feed Consumed Feed Used FCR Farm Gate Price

Cage No 1

Cage No. 2

6 m x 10m x 3m

5 m x 10m x 3m

15,000 pcs

8,000 pcs

February 10, 2011 10 g

68%

140 - 160 205 g

2,100 kg

4,830 kg (322 bags)

TATEH Rabbitfish Feeds 2.3

P230/kg

from the Mindanao State University at Naawan in Naawan, Misamis Oriental) In the case of Alex FariĂąas he stocked his floating cage with fingerlings with an ABW of only 10 grams at 53 per m3 in one cage and at 63 per m3 in the other cage.

Malaga is euryhaline and can tolerate a wide range of salinity from brackish to purely marine as long as the salinity change is not abrupt. It thrives well at normal ranges of dissolved oxygen (5 to 6 ppm) and pH (7.0 to 7.5).

However malaga cannot tolerate waters with high turbidity. Prolonged exposure to turbid water will cause severe mortality.

Given its good price and significant demand, malaga culture is a lucrative venture.

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Agrilink 2011 Issue

February 15, 2011 10 g

87% 135

200 g

1,392 kg

3,202 kg (213 bags)

TATEH Rabbitfish Feeds 2.3

P230/kg

Start them early with Pre-starter Floating Feeds

by Gellie Naig

R

ight nutrition matters in the early stage of fish development. In hatchery and nursery, the quality of fry and its survival can be directly influenced by the right diet. This basic facet of fish nutrition has driven Tateh Aqua Feeds to come up with another innovative product: the micro floating feed lines such as Pre-starter Surfer. The said feed type are ‘mouth-size specific’ in order to endure higher rate of ingestion for young tilapia, milkfish and catfish.

Pre-starter Surfer or PSS is a floating micro-pellet type with a size of only 1.5 mm. It is intended to produce high quality fingerlings with faster growth rate and uniform size ready for the starter stage of culture or direct growout in cages, pens, and ponds. Its innovative and efficient performance can be applied to catfish, milkfish, tilapia and other aquaculture species. PSS is likewise proven to be more effective than using crumbles in nursery ponds. For milkfish, PSS is best suited for fingerlings with an ABW of 5-25 grams. For tilapia, PSS is best suited for 8-20 grams.

Some of the following special features and advantages of PSS are discussed below:

PSS as a floating feed The 90% floating rate of PSS leads to easier feed monitoring, since farmers could easily check underfeeding or overfeeding. In this way, feed wastage is minimized and assurance can be made that feeds are eaten by the fish. With better start of nourishment, body form and fish immunity is improved. This serves as strong foundation of the fish for higher survival and better resistance against diseases.

PSS is highly recommended for nursery ponds and early stage of grow-out. Each pellet of PSS has all the essential nutrients required at the fry to fingerling stage. High heat extrusion process makes each micro-pellet highly digestible and easy to assimilate.

Micro-pellet form and Zero powder

The micro pellet characteristic of PSS is one of the feed technology advancement of Tateh for higher feed efficiency. It is generally known that extruded floating feeds are

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Pre-starter comes in new slow-sinking variant

by Kristine Santillan

G

iving customers topmost quality products is Santeh Feeds’ commitment. In order to cater to customers’ needs in their aquaculture business, Santeh continuously innovates and upgrades its product lines. The continued research and development program as well as customer feedback and actual farm visits led to the creation of new products and new variants. One of these is the slow sinking pre-starter pellet.

surface is likewise reduced since the fish do not need to surface in order to feed. This ensures greater uniformity of fish size.

The new slow-sink variant (PS-ES) meanwhile is ideal for deep culture systems like cages and pens. With a 90% sinking rate capability the feed will scatter down the water column allowing the fingerlings to feed at any level at any given time. With PS-ES, setting-up feeding nets is not required. PSS will gently sink to the bottom and will not spread outside the cage even with ripples created during feeding time. Competition and overcrowding at the water

This Pre-starter slow-sinking feeds comes in 20 kilograms packaging. The Milkfish Pre-starter Extruded Sinking Pellet (MPS-ES) is ideal for milkfish fry ranging from 10-15 grams. Tilapia Pre-starter Extruded Sinking Pellet (TPSES) is ideal for tilapia fry size ranging 5-25 grams (3045 days old). Catfish Pre-starter Extruded Sinking Pellet

The Pre-starter Surfer feeds, initially introduced by Tateh, is effective in shallow culture systems such as ponds and tanks. Its floating capability reduces competition among fish because the feeds scatter all throughout the water surface.

With a high crude protein content of 36% the TPS-ES has a pellet size of 1.8 to 2.2 mm, the TPS-ES is rich in micronutrients and is formulated specifically to ensure growth and survival of fish at the early stages of growth. Being mouth size specific, a high rate of ingestion is assured.

PSS is produced through the extrusion process. The feed is highly digestible and ensures higher feed assimilation.

With its zero powder content, feed wastage is greatly minimized making it less likely to cause pollution in the aquatic environment.

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Agrilink 2011 Issue

9

Better Science

... Continued from page 2

For sure aquaculture has provided employment and improved the lives of many caretakers but poverty remains widespread in the areas where the fish is produced and the ownership remains in the hands of a few who in most cases are from outside the community.

Converting “better science” to “better lives” is a bigger challenge. Along this line, the government should review policies, framework, and implementation guidelines

Updates on

for aquaculture. What should be done with idle and abandoned brackishwater fishponds? Many of these are still public lands covered by Fishpond Lease Agreements or FLA. How can financing be provided so more people can become fish producers? How can a community be protected from unscrupulous operators who are there only for “quick money” without any regard for the environment?

... Continued from page 8

ated much more intensively (100 to 150 pcs per m2)than the average locally financed shrimp farms which may be stocked at 50 pcs per m2 or even less.

In Pangasinan, polyculture of vannamei and milkfish is practiced at a stocking density of 0.2 pcs/m2 and 3-5 pcs/ m2 respectively. In Pampanga, vannamei is polycultured with tilapia at stocking rates of 3-4pcs/m2 and 5pcs/m2 respectively. Within DOC 120, tilapia attains an ABW of 167-200g/pc and vannamei at 15-20g/pc. Both areas consider their polyculture successful and farmers acknowledge the improvement in profit compared to monoculture using either tilapia or milkfish. In Bataan, farmers find the stocking of vannamei with tilapia, milkfish and crab all in

one pond to be a very profitable venture.

While feeding is heavy in intensive to semi-intensive system, polyculture with finfish does not involve intense feeding because of the availability of natural food. In Pampanga only the tilapia is fed. The vannamei are assumed to rely primarily on natural foods and whatever excess feed is not consumed by the tilapia in the pond. Farmers report a survival rate of 65% for tilapia and 15% for vannamei.

With this system, the FCR attained for the tilapia ranges from 0.9 to 1.1. Even with the low survival rates for the shrimps farmers still find it to be more profitable than tilapia monoculture and report a return on investment of around 55%.

Start them early ... Continued from page 9 better than sinking pellets. However, to produce floating feed at the size that can be ingested at the fry to fingerling stage such is an expensive and difficult process. PSS doesn’t have powder compared to crumble or mash type of aqua feeds. A 100% ingestion rate is therefore possible under ideal conditions.

Higher protein content

With 36% of crude protein this “smallest pellet feed” has a

higher protein content than most of the available nursery feeds. This encourages faster growth of stock with fewer amounts of feeds required in the same stage of culture.

For more than two decades, Tateh Aqua Feeds has been true to its mission of bringing high quality feeds for the benefit of the its partners in the industry: the fish farmers.

It continuously develops and improves its technology in keeping with the dynamic market and aquaculture industry situation.

Pre-starter ... Continued from page 9 (CPS-ES) is ideal for catfish fry size ranging 2-5 grams.

The Pre-starter Slow Sinking and the Pre-starter Surfer have exactly the same nutritional quality. They differ only in their features once broadcast on the water surface.

The Pre-starter Slow Sinking spreads down throughout

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Agrilink 2011 Issue

the water column and is therefore ideal for deep water cages and pens. On the other hand, the Pre-starter Surfer spreads throughout the water surface and is ideal for shallow water ponds and tanks. Making the right choice whether floating or slow-sinking would mean greater feeding efficiency.

Location of Existing Mariculture Parks Source: Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (July 2011)

Agrilink 2011 Issue

11

Event Photo Gallery

Tateh on-site seminar held in Sorsogon City last March 2011. Tateh extends technical seminar to assist farmers with their problems and concerns in fish production.

Tateh booth in China. Mr. Phillip Ong, Santeh President welcomes visitors to its first international booth during 9th AFAF meeting in Shanghai Ocean University,Shanghai,China

Santeh staff with Taiwanese speakers and CF-CLSU Dean Dr. Poly Yambot during the 2011 PHILFIN Fisheries Research Forum held at CLSU last September 22 to 23,2011.

Tateh joins Second Aquatech Convention held at Fontano Resort, Clarkfield, Pampanga.

Tateh staff with visitor clients join Bayungan Festival 2011 in Laurel, Batangas

Mindanao Tateh workforce during the 1st Vis-Min Agri-Aqua Expo in Davao City