Growing catfish in the Philippines

The catfish industry in the Philippines is budding and projected to expand in the coming years. This is evident from conversations with active catfish farmers who all hope to be able to expand production, whether backyard or commercial because their present production can hardly supply the demands of buyers. NIFTDC, a fisheries technology and development center in Dagupan City, Philippines, however, says that unless the government has a catfish program, expansion of the industry would be slow. Work on catfish research is only just starting and the culture methods remain to be on a gut feel basis. The farmers are left to survive on their own. Luckily for them, catfish is hardy, easy to grow, and has a growing market. Clearly, if catfish can provide cheap protein for more people, scientific support must be made available for the farmers.

Aquaculture marketing

Aquaculture production is meaningless unless distributed and consumed. Most of the time, the technology generated addresses production, never mind distribution and consumption. Experts say that if production is to be increased, distribution 'from the point of production to the point of consumption must complement the increase.' As fish production increases, marketing must be efficient to allow it to expand.