NFRDI pilots aquashading to increase tilapia harvest

MANILA, Philippines — The National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) is piloting a project using aquashading technology developed by the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) to help raise the country’s tilapia production.

The project will assess the technical performance of aquashade technology, with or without shading, in Type I and Type III agro-climatic conditions or those that have wet and dry seasons.

It also aims to increase the hatchery production of tilapia fingerlings and validate the cost efficiency of the technology.

The pilot project is based on CLSU’s aquashading technology, which aims to increase tilapia seed production and ensure income among tilapia hatchery and grow-out operators in the country.

The research project will be implemented by NFRDI’s Aquaculture Research and Development Division (ARDD).

“Aquashade technology reduces water temperature to make it favorable for breeding and increasing the seed production of tilapia in ponds. The reduction of water temperature during the hottest hours of the day can significantly increase the spawning rate and seed production. This technology will definitely benefit our fish farmers through increased production and attain fish sufficiency,” NFRDI-ARDD chief and project leader Joseph Christopher Rayos said.

The two proposed on-station verification studies are located at NFRDI’s Freshwater Fisheries Research and Development Center (FFRDC) in Butong, Taal, Batangas with Type I climate, and at NFRDI’s Brackishwater Fisheries Research and Development Center (BFRDC) in Lala, Lanao del Norte with Type III climate.

NFRDI is looking at two other proposed sites in Samar and Pangasinan for possible outside funding.

The agency cited Modified Corona’s Classification of Climate, which said there are four climate types in the Philippines.

Type I is dry from November to April, and wet during the rest of the year; Type II has no dry season with a very pronounced maximum rain period from December to February; Type III has no very pronounced maximum rain period, with a short dry season lasting only from one to three months; and Type IV has rainfall that is  more or less evenly distributed throughout the year.

Aquashading technology – developed by CLSU’s Freshwater Aquaculture Center – uses greenhouse nets installed over the pond to provide shade for the cultured tilapia.

The effect of the shade reduces the water temperature by three to four degrees Celsius, contributing to the increase of the fish’s chance of reproducing more fish by 100 percent in both pond-based and hapa-based systems.

Early adopters of this technology gained an estimated 14 percent return on investment and an estimated payback period of fewer than two years.