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 CAGE CULTURE OF FIN FISH (GROUPER, MILKFISH, SIGANID, SEA BASS, SNAPPER, ETC.)
   

Details:
I. INTRODUCTION

Cage culture of marine fish provides alternative livelihood for sustenance fisherfolks. This has been a popular method of rearing fish in the sea coast. This technology is cheap to operate because it needs only small area and less physical facilities. A Floating Cage is a moveable cage with floating units from which a single cage or a series of net cages is suspended. A Stationary Cage is tied to fixed poles at their corners or anchored.

Due to their high market value especially when sold alive, finfish like grouper, siganids, seas bass and snapper are now cultured in commercial scales in other regions of the country and in other countries like Kuwait, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, China and Mexico. Some private companies have ventured in finfish cage culture and they appear to have survived and prospered.


II. METHOD OF OPERATION

A. Site Selection

1. The culture site should be accessible by land and water transportation.
2. Any conflict with other fishery and maritime activities in the area should not be ignored.
3. The site should be free from any pollution sources.
4. Availability of seed stocks of that species to be cultured in the area is very important.
5. Well-oxygenated and directly influenced by open sea water, especially coves protected from strong monsoon winds is a good site.
6. Average depth of water within the area should be around 3 meters at zero tide.

B. Culture Method

Environmental factors in the area must be considered before cages are installed. In those areas that are exposed to periodic strong swell and wave actions, cages require greater material strength. Cage can be of any size but must be lightweight, durable and less expensive.

1. Construction of Raft and Cages

A large raft (10.6 m X 7.2 m) is constructed with six (6) 10.6 m and eight ( 7.7 m bamboo poles, each of 5"-6" diameter. Galvanized wire (SWG No.12) will be used in fixing the bamboo poles.

Small pieces of bamboo poles 6-8 m long and 5-7.5 cm (2"-3") diameter are installed at the top of the raft to serve as working platforms.

Styrofoam drum, plastic carbuoy or container of 60 liters volume are fastened to the underside of the bamboo poles by means of nylon ropes.

A 3 m X 3 m cage made of polyethylene netting with mesh sizes of 25mm, 12mm and 50mm are used for stocking of juveniles, nursery of fry and for fattening purposes respectively.

A square frame of galvanized iron-pipe (2.8m2 20 mm diameter) is fixed at the bottom to distend the cage.

The cage is suspended under a division of the raft by a set of four nylon ropes (10mm diameter) each of which threads vertically through the meshes of the netting and connects a corner of the bottom square frame to the raft. Another set of ropes are installed without threading through the netting, and it is used for hoisting up the cage for harvesting.

The raft is anchored in position at each corner by a 40 kg iron anchor with a nylon rope of 20mm diameter.

Cement blocks or strong tree trunks driven into the bottom can be used in place of the anchors. The anchoring rope should not be too tight so as to allow for tidal difference and to provide a flexible hold without over-straining the raft at low tide.

2. Stocking of Cage

Each net cage should best be stocked with juvenile fish at a size of about 100g at the rate of 14 fish per cu.m. Farming period would only take about 6-9 months for the fish to reach marketable size. Stocking should be done separately for each size group to prevent cannibalism. Stocking density up to market size varies from 10 to 100 fish per cubic meter.

3. Feeding of fish

Trash feeding (consisting of Tilapia mossambica and other small fishes) is considered suitable for the chosen species. The trash fish could be obtained by purchase from fish landing sites or in public markets.

The simple method of feeding caged fish is recommended, i.e. by hand feeding. The caged fish should be fed twice daily: early in the morning and late afternoon. The trash fish should be small enough to be taken by the fish. In feeding, it is better to spread the feed as evenly as possible to ensure all fish having the chance to reach for the food.

The amount of trash fish to be fed depends mainly upon the size of the fish and the water conditions such as the water temperature. The quantity of feeds is anticipated to be about 6% of the biomass of the caged fish and the fish are expected to be satiated with food within 15 minutes of eating.

Caution should be observed not to overfeed the caged fish in order to avoid not only wastage of food but also serious ill-effects on the health of fish due to the decaying of the uneaten food.

4. Maintenance operation

Regular maintenance on the rafts and cages should be carried out to ensure that all the materials are in good condition and properly secured.

The submerged cages could be clogged easily particularly in the case of smaller mesh-sized netting. Monthly cleaning of the net should be done.

Some fish tend to grow faster than the others despite efforts to spread the food evenly. It is desirable to sort the fish periodically according to size, putting the larger fish in one cage and the smaller fish in another. Mortality or disease should be checked.

C. Harvesting

Harvesting of cultured fish in cages can easily be done. The cages with market-sized fish are brought close to the shore and the fish are collected by means of scoop net. Harvested fish are then counted and weighed.

Harvesting of uniform-sized fish of high quality is an advantage in this kind of fish culture. However, harvesting depends largely on the requirements of the buyer. There is no definite schedule followed as harvesting is done when there is a demand for the fish.

D. Marketing

Marine fish commands a high price from P80.00 up especially when marketed fresh. Grouper has high sales value in local as well as overseas market throughout the year.








Source of Information : Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Regional Office IX
Sources:
1. Basa, Sofia S., Finfish Cage Culture: An Income Generating Project.
2. AQUA FARM NEWS, Vol. X No.3 (May-June 1992)

soruce:neda

 Gabing San Fernando (Yautia sp.) as Potential Feed Ingredient for Commercialization in Swine Ration

Feeds comprise about 70% of the total cost of swine production. During the review of the FSSRI-BAR project entitled �Improving the Integration of Animal Production in the Upland Farming Systems of Selected Communities in Mt. Banahaw� in December 1999, trials on alternative feeds for swine was suggested by the Officers of the partner farmers organizations. Among the alternative feed ingredients mentioned were cassava (Manihot esculenta) and the corms of Gabing San Fernando (Yautia sp. , Family Araceae) locally known as sakwa.

The use of cassava had already been studied as an alternative to corn for feeds. Results of several experiments have proven that the performance of animals given with cassava-based feeds is comparable to those fed with corn based rations. However, its use as feeds was constrained by the availability of the materials. Demand for starch and table consumption are higher, hence the price of raw materials become prohibitive for feeds.

On the other hand, sakwa, a by-product of gabi production, is traditionally used as feeds for swine parti-cularly at the finishing stage. The sliced sakwa and gabi leaves are usually given fresh or boiled with feed concentrates.

Among other root crops grown in the Philippines, gabi ranks third to sweet potato and cassava in production and hectarage. It is generally grown as a backyard crop. Gabing San Fernando is the Tagalog term for Yautia or Tannia (Common name). This is also referred to as Takudo in Cebuano and Butig in Waray. Gabing San Fernando is a robust slant and generally adapted in the upland condition. It thrives best in deep, loose, friable and sandy loam soil with abundant organic matter and moisture. It is well adapted in plateaus and can withstand even soils dominated by cogon. Although it can be planted anytime of the year it performs best when planted at the start of the rainy season. This crop is resistant to adverse climatic conditions including drought and relatively resistant to pest and diseases.

Gabing San Fernando ranks second to sweet potato in terms of nutritive value and digestibility. Sakwa of Gabing San Fernando has a crude protein (7.67%) comparable to that of corn, thus giving it a greater potential use as feed ingredient. It has a more or less spherical shape while the cormels are flask-shaped, usually larger than those of gabi.

A preliminary study on the feeding of sakwa-based feed rations to swine fatteners was conducted by the Farming Systems and Soil Resources Institute (FSSRI) in Barangay Pinagdanglayan, Dolores, Quezon under the project supported by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR).

Drying of sakwa was tried by air drying, sun drying or through mechanical drier. Air-drying requires at least five days to attain 14% moisture and sun drying, 3 days. Initial trial was also made using the CEAT multi-purpose drier. Chipping of sakwa is done manually or with the use of a mechanical chipper. Manual chipping is slow and laborious with an output of 9-20 kg/hr/person. Slices can either cross-sectional or longitudinal. Longitudinal slices are more advantageous than the cross sectional or oval cuts because they dry faster. Dried chips that are not milled right away are stored in sacks or containers that can be tightly closed to prevent moisture reabsorption. The use of mechanical drier and chipper are potentially economical if operation will be made on a large scale.

In the on-farm trial conducted for the utilization of sakwa-based feed ration for swine fattening, dried sakwa was used as a replacement for the corn component of the feeds. Corn was replaced in the ration at 50% for the grower feeds and 75% for the finisher rations. The feed formulation was prepared in cooperation with Luntian Multi-purpose Cooperative, Inc. (LMC). The LMC milled the dried sakwa and mixed with the feed ration.

There were three farmer-partners involved in the trial. Each farmer had nine fatteners which were crossbred of Landrace and Yorkshire from the Institute of Animal Science, UPLB. The fatteners were divided into three groups with the first group serving as the control and was fed with commercially available feeds used in the area. The second group was fed with sakwa based-feed starting from growing stage (about 30-35 kg per head) while the last group was fed with sakwa-based feed only during the finishing stage (60 kg above).

Results of the trial showed no significant differences on the average daily gain (600 g/day) and final weight (80 kg) among the test animals after four months of fattening. Meat color was comparable while backfat thickness was acceptable for all treatments. However, differrences in the net benefit was observed. Sakwa-based feeds had lower cost compared to corn-based ration. Partial budget analysis showed a higher net benefit in the feeding of sakwa-based feeds to swine starting at the grower stage. Animals fed with sakwa-based rations realized a net benefit of about P 740 per head of swine while those fed with commercial feeds has about P 340 per head.

Considering the savings in the cost of feeds and the insignificant differences in weight gain compared to animals fed with commercial feeds, the use of sakwa-based feed rations for swine has potentials as feeds. Besides, sakwa is a by-product of the production of Gabing San Fernando and produced with less external inputs. There are no imported fertilizers and insecticides component in the production process. The utilization of Gabing San Fernando as the main ingredient of swine feed rations can reduce our dependence on corn as feed ingredients. Studies could also be done on the potential of sakwa-based feeds for cattle fattening and poultry (V.T. Villancio, R.V. Labios and D.R Dahilig)

taken from : //community.uplb.edu.ph/ca/agandg/od2000.html

 Due to high cost of commercial feeds people now tend to resort to alternative feeds.

Some uses leaf-overs from restaurant, fast foods etc.

Some feed their animals plants like ipil ipil leaves, camote, duck weed, banana etc.

If you have read some article about alternative feeds please post it here for the benefit of everyone. 

Thanks.

Ended again in a draw

Mikey, im not that knowledgeable in terms of silage.  You need to cover it so fermentation would take place. Usually grasses are use for silaging.

The nearest i have done in making a silage is thru using a jar and keeping for one month inside so it owuld ferment.

Silage is use to prevent shortage of food.

In some cattle feedlot here in the philippines they do not use silo they just a thick large plastic covering to facilitate for fermentation.

Farrowing pen: this are some measurement that you will find in different farms.

1.6 by 2.1 meter
2 x 2 meter=diagonal set up
1.8 by 1.8 meter=diagonal set up
5 feet x 7 feet

It is more practical to buy one farrowing pen and just copy the design or modify it.


Gestation pen: 60-75 cm by 2 meter.

Boar pen: 2.5 by 2.5 meter
             3 meter by 3 meter

This topic has been moved to HOUSING.

http://pinoyagribusiness.com/forum/index.php?topic=228.0

In backyard swine raising the dimension used is 1 meter by 1 meter per animal. Height of pen is dependent of the type of housing you building.

If you are building a housing on which there would be a fence circling the whole house then height could be 60-75 cm.

But if you will just build a box type of housing (no fence around) then 1 meter height is more appropriate.

Minimum height of the ceiling should be from 2-2.5 meter from the lowest part of the ceiling to the ground.

I think there is a crossbred with a Friesian,comes in from Australia,would think the Holstein would have a hard time in the tropics,not known for doing well in tropical climate.She is known as a heavy milker.

Yup mikey they do cross it with friesian. Holstein-fresian.

DA in baguio also have Saanen goat.
-----------------------------------------
my mistake... holstein-fresian is considered as one breed as is.

Not much.

So far the christmas is merry for hog producer. Price of liveweight is still high.

The Anglo Nubian is an all-purpose goat, useful for meat, milk and hide production. It is not a heavy milk producer but has a high average butter fat content (between four and five percent). The Anglo Nubian breeding season is much longer than that of the Swiss breeds so it is possible to produce milk year round.

As it is the best suited of the dairy goat breeds to hot conditions, the Anglo Nubian has been used in grading-up programs in many tropical countries to increase the milk and meat production of local breeds.


The LaMancha goat originated in Oregon by Mrs. Eula Frey from short-eared goats of a type found not only in LaMancha, but throughout spain. It has excellent dairy temperament and is an all-around sturdy animal that can withstand a great deal of hardship and still produce. Through official testing this breed has established itself in milk production with high butterfat.

The LaMancha face is straight with the ears being the distinctive breed characteristic. There are two types of LaMancha ears. In does one type of ear has no advantage over the other.

   1. The "gopher ear" is described as follows: an approximate maximum length of one inch but preferably non-existent and with very little or no cartilage. The end of the ear must be turned up or down. This is the only type of ear which will make buck eligible for registration.

   2. The "elf ear" is described as follows: an approximate maximum length of two inches is allowed, the end of the ear must be turned up or turned down and cartilage shaping the small ear is allowed.



The Boer is an improved indigenous breed with some infusion of European, Angora and Indian goat breeding many years ago. Several researchers agree that the indigenous populations were probably from the Namaqua Hottentots and from southward migrating Bantu tribes. The name is derived from the Dutch word "boer" meaning farmer and was probably used to distinguish the native goats from the Angora goats which were imported into South Africa during the 19th century. The present day Boer goat appeared in the early 1900's when ranchers in the Easter Cape Province started selecting for a meat type goat.


The Saanen dairy goat originated in Switzerland, in the Saanen Valley. Saanen does are heavy milk producers and usually yield 3-4 percent milk fat. It is medium to large in size (weighing approximately 145 lbs/65kg) with rugged bone and plenty of vigor.

Does should be feminine, and not coarse. Saanens are white or light cream in color, with white preferred. Spots on the skin are not discriminated against. Small spots of color on the hair are allowable, but not desirable. The hair should be short and fine, although a fringe over the spine and thighs is often present. Ears should be erect and alertly carried, preferably pointing forward. The face should be straight or dished. A tendency toward a roman nose is discriminated against.

taken from:ansi.okstate

Sir i have sent the sow calculator to you.

Thank you

To be honest i can't do that. Selling book is the only way i can maintain this site.  Actually i have already spend around 5 figure number just to maintain this site.

And sales of the book is still not enough to break even.  The net income per book is only 20-50 pesos.  So just imagine how many books i need to sell just to maintain this site.