Mariculture, commonly known as culture of fish in a cage or a pen and a component industry of aquaculture, is a growing industry in Eastern Visayas. To date, some 20 potential sites covering 10,000 hectares have been identified for this purpose. Out of these, eight are operational.
Mariculture generates income for the investor. Based on the experience of mariculture in Brgy. Tinaogan, Basey, Samar, an investment of P450,000 on four 10m x 10 m x 5m bangus fish cages earns P100,000 per harvest or P25,000 a month.
Mariculture also employs people. Each fish cage requires one to three workers. In Barangay Tinaogan, an average of 100 workers are employed in existing 50 fish cages. Aside from the jobs created while operating the cage, fabrication of one unit fish cage employs three skilled and five semi-skilled workers for 12 days while installation of fish cages employs four skilled workers and five laborers for three days. Skilled workers earn P9,000 a month while semi-skilled workers earn from P3,000 to P4,500 a month. On the other hand, the womenfolk of San Antonio (an adjacent barangay of Tinaogan), were trained on deboning and further processing of Bangus, thus increasing the life and value-added for for bangus at the same time providing livelihood opportunity for women.
Bangus or milk fish products from mariculture has outweighed the Bangus
produced in fishponds for various reasons. Based on field interviews
conducted by the NEDA staff, consumers claimed that the “taste
of bangus from mariculture is comparable to commercial fish
catch” .
Processors and exporters, on
the other hand, said that “ the kind and
size of harvests are standardized and predetermined in mariculture,
which are right for export. On the other hand, the species and sizes of
commercial or municipal fish catch vary a lot”.
For consumers, taste is very important while for environmentalists, safety is of foremost importance. Both are achieved in mariculture. Because of its natural setting, bangus in fish cages or fish pens are tastier than those in fishponds. The mobility of bangus is better and the waste freely flows out from the cage or pen. On the other hand, the natural coastal environment is enhanced because mangroves, which serve as fish sanctuary, source of marine food and playground for juvenile fish, are no longer destroyed for fishpond development. And, equally important is that siltation and salinization no longer occur.
 Bangus harvest at Brgy. Tinaogan, Basey, Samar |
Mariculture techniques differ. Most of the Bangus culture in San Jose, Northern Samar use the circular type fish cage, which sea farmers rent from the supplier of feeds and fingerlings at P75,000 per cropping or for four months. The supplier of feeds and fingerlings is a trader in San Jose, who availed of a production loan from QUEDAN Corporation.
On the other hand, sea farmers in San Roque, Northern Samar use fish pen instead, which is much cheaper than the fish cage. The coop sea farmers also availed of production loan (given to them in kind) from QUEDAN CORP.