Operating a Bangus (Milkfish) Farm

Operating a Bangus (Milkfish) Farm


How to Prepare the Bangus Pond After Acquiring It

A bangus fish farmer has the option to just grow fingerlings for sale or market-size adults or both, depending on the size of his ponds, his resources, and business plans.

Whether you grow fingerlings or adults, prepare the pond at the start of the cropping season before stocking.

Following are the key steps that we follow:
 
1. Remove all the water (done in connection with “limas” when all remaining fish and prawns in the pond are taken out at the end of the cropping cycle). Click this to see my blog post on how to do pond draining ("limas"). Make sure all debris found at the bottom such as rotten coconut fruits, coconut leaves, tree branches, etc. are removed. Sun-dry the pond bottom for a few days or a week if possible (in our pond, water comes back after a day or so, unfortunately).
 
2. Till or cultivate the pond bottom to allow harmful gases to escape and to oxidize the soil. We use cut branches of the thorny "camachile" tree which my workers drag from end to end of the pond.
 
3. Check and repair, if necessary, all the dikes, gates, screens and nets to make sure that water and/or fish won’t escape. Look for hidden holes created by rats, or rotting roots of rotten tree planted on dikes (from the outside dike looks solid but may actually be hollowed out inside by roots; when roots rot, some parts of the dike erode where fish can escape or competing fish can come in from adjacent ponds).
 
4. In case of eroded dike or flood-prone dike, arrange for land fill work to rehabilitate the dike. Plant coconut seedlings or small trees to strengthen the dike and reduce rehabilitation work.

                      A newly renovated fishpond dike (raised; used to be flood-prone)   

5. Apply organic pesticide such as tea seed powder to kill pests, predators and unwanted species (such as mudfish or "dalag"), and competitors (tilapia) at a minimum rate of 75k/ha. Others apply tobacco leaf dust or sweepings which are also effective in killing predators (250 to 500 k/ha.). After three days, its toxic effect is reversed and tobacco leaf dust/sweepings become organic fertilizer.
 
6. After 3 days, apply lime ("apog") at a rate of 1 metric ton/ha. to neutralize chemicals in as well as the acidity of the pond. Ideal ph reading is 6.8. If pond is acidic (less than 6.5 ph), it’s hard to grow natural food. In Binmaley, we use crushed oyster shells which are available in 50k-sacks from a nearby local supplier in Mabini St., Poblacion.

7. Apply chicken manure, which is spread around the pond at a rate of 1 metric ton/ha. This fertilizes the pond to encourage growth of natural food (such as "lablab").

8. Apply inorganic fertilizer, usually 16-20-0 (mono ammonium phosphate) at a rate of 25k/ha. Balanced fertilizer is usually not recommended because ponds usually already have sufficient amount of potassium. But to be on the safe side, request for a soil test before applying other inorganic fertilizers.

9. After 7 to 10 days, apply a side dressing of the above fertilizer (16-20-0) at a rate of 10k/hectare.

10. While growth of natural food ("lablab") takes place in the pond, allow water to come in at a rate of 5 cm. After 5 to 7 days another 5 cm, etc. until the desired pond water level is reached. This is possible for Class A and Class B ponds where entry of tide water can be controlled. Water can also be pumped in using water pump when it's not high tide.

These steps will pave the way for stocking of the bangus fry in the nursery pond. We follow the same steps in preparing my transition ponds (for growing fingerlings) and grow-out ponds (for rearing the fingerlings into market-size bangus).

See the video below for a sample of actual pond preparation work done on one of our grow-out ponds. It's a 2-part video on Milkfish (Bangus) Pond Preparation which we uploaded in YouTube (below is Part 1).




 Part 2 of the pond preparation video is shown below.





How to Harvest Bangus

The following procedures are our way of harvesting bangus in our locality. The steps described are applicable to Class C ponds (closed system). However, we apply almost the same procedures in harvesting bangus in our leased Class B pond.

1. One day before harvest, get the following supplies/ implements ready: sorting nets (“saplar”), plastic bags, strainers, scoop nets (“tapigo”), bamboo stakes (“tulos” or also called “onoon”), jute sacks, chilling vats, metal saucer (for ice scooper/spreader), styrofoam boxes, trolley, hand truck, or wheelbarrow.

From top clockwise; blue sorting net ("saplar"), scoop nets ("tapigo"), strainers, plastic bags
 

                                         Bamboo stakes ("tulos" or "onoon")
 

A sorting net ("saplar"); a blue plastic chilling vat (partly visible) 

2. A few days before harvest, recruit six hired workers (paid on daily basis). We hire workers from a pool of “regulars” (a group that we’ve been working with and trust). Number of workers depends on the work to be done, the number of pond compartments, and size of pond(s). Six hired workers plus two of my caretaker staff are enough to do harvest work for a 0.6 hectare grow-out pond.

Note: When number of marketable sized bangus is high, say 3,000 to 5,000 pieces, increase the hired workers to 8 or 9, especially if there are tilapias to be taken out too.
 
3. A day before harvest, make arrangement for transport driver service. Depending on the quantity and size of bangus to be taken out, one or two tricycles or "garongs" are needed to transport and sell bangus at the Dagupan fish center (where you find bulk/wholesale buyers). 

Note: Instead of a tricycle (which can be used for passengers and cargo, a better one is a "garong" (motorized sidecar), used exclusively for hauling cargo such as fish or livestock. We used to have our own service tricycle, but now converted into a "garong", which can accommodate more fish.


If number of marketable sized bangus is high, say 3,000 to 5,000 pieces, a jeepney with driver may be rented for P800 to P1,000 per trip. Or better yet, hire a small truck for P1,200 per trip. The advantage of the latter is that it's easier and more effective in killing the bangus catch in ice to preserve its quality. For this purpose, the open bed of the truck is lined with tarpaulin which is filled up with water and blocks of ice.

4. Arrange with the driver for rental and pick-up of a haul seine net (“kalokor” net) from a seine rental shop early morning on harvest day (Php200 to 400 rental depending on size). Make sure that the correct type and size of seine net is made available (e.g., small one for taking out bangus fry to the biggest one for taking out 5,000 pieces of large bangus). 

Sometimes you get to rent undersized nets or those without pocket which makes "kalokor" work difficult and ineffective.

5. Upon arrival of the haul seine net and the pond workers, the net is unloaded from the tricycle or "garong", brought to the pond to be harvested, and unpacked.

6. At the pond, the harvest crew do the following:  

• Drag each end of the seine net toward the side of the pond to spread it out and cover the entire width of the pond.

                  One end of seine net being pulled by two workers to the side of the pond

· From one end of the pond, pull the net along the entire length of the pond toward the other end. The net is pulled by two workers at each end through a wooden pole. Two more workers guide the sides of the net, and another worker mans the rear end of the seine net, making sure that the pocket of the net (or any part of the net) is not entangled at the pond bottom.

· During the hauling of the seine, use sticks to slap the water surface at the side of the pond to scare off the fish (maybe hiding in small nooks and crevices of the dike or pond weeds at the side) and to drive them away toward the center.

7. Upon reaching the end of the pond, pull each end of the the seine net together toward the middle until they meet.
 
Seine net pulled by workers to other end of the pond and closed together before being   pulled in

8. Haul in the seine net, ensuring that the lead line (at bottom) is pulled in first to make sure that the captured bangus are kept inside the seine net and do not escape. Raise the sides of the net so that bangus won't jump out.
 
                              Seine net containing bangus being hauled in by workers

9. Transfer the fish catch from the seine net to a sorting net ("saplar").


         Bangus being transferred from a seine ("kalokor") net to a blue sorting net ("saplar") 
 
10.Haul the sorting net containing the fish catch to the fish sorting area (usually at one end of the pond). Transfer the fish catch from the "saplar" to a larger sorting net ("saplar") where all the fish sorting will be done later.

Note: The large "saplar" sorting net will need to be set up in advance while seining is being done. Use bamboo stakes ("tulos" or "onoon") to anchor the sorting net in the pond. It is normally located near the harvest processing area where fish is killed in ice, counted, packed, etc.

11. Instruct driver to buy crushed ice (a block costs around Php300 to 350). The crushed ice are packed in jute sacks and brought to the pond on trolley or hand truck. It’s important that enough ice is readily available so that fish hauled in from the pond can be immediately chilled in ice either in vats, or in container nets, or directly in the open bed of a small truck - thus retaining the quality and freshness of the bangus.

Do not delay chilling, as freshness of newly harvested bangus can be quickly compromised, especially when the sun is up.

12.Spread the seine net once again and do a second seine pass from one end to the other end of the pond being harvested.

13.Repeat Step 12 and do a third and, if necessary, a fourth seine "kalokor" pass until only a few bangus or tilapia are hauled in by the seine net.

14.At the fish sorting area, get a bamboo stake, insert it at the bottom of the large sorting net ("saplar"), and use it to horizontally divide the large "saplar" into 2 or 3 parts for sorting purposes. Sorting is done: (a) to segregate tilapia from the bangus (b) take out mudfish ("dalag"), cat fish ("hito"), and other predator fish, (c) take out white prawns snagged by the seine net, and (d) separate market-sized bangus from smaller ones which may be returned to the pond.
 
A larger sorting net ("saplar"), divided into 3 compartments using horizontal bamboo stakes to sort out market-sized bangus and segregate other fishes (tilapia, mudfish) and even white prawns

15.Put the few mudfish, cat fish and other predator fish in a scoop net ("tapigo")(later stocked in water-filled drums still alive before being sold or cooked). Place smaller bangus (i.e. fingerlings) in a plastic bag and transfer them to the same grow-out pond or another pond. Make sure such fingerlings have been counted and their size noted for record purposes.

Smaller bangus, i.e. fingerlings, segregated and later returned to the same grow-out pond or other ponds

16.During harvest, the chilling vats (or the tarpaulin on a truck) are filled with pond water and some crushed ice (bought earlier). The harvested bangus are immersed in these vats for killing in ice and pre-chilling in ice water before packing them for the market. Pre-chilling the bangus prevents damage and keeps the fish looking fresh. It also removes blood, slime, dirt and bacteria from the skin of the fish, and slows down enzymatic activities, thus retaining the needed freshness of the catch.
 
Crushed ice being poured into a chilling vat containing bangus. Ice is scooped using metal plate


For a video coverage of a milkfish ("bangus") harvest in one of our grow-out ponds, see the YouTube clip below.


 


Another YouTube video clip below shows how harvested milkfish ("bangus") are brought to the transport area to be loaded onto the open bed (lined with tarpaulin filled with water and blocks of ice) of a waiting mini truck.
 

For the full video coverage, go to YouTube and view Parts 1 to 5 of the Milkfish (Bangus) Harvest. Thanks for watching guys! 

Here are the links for Parts 1, 2 and 4 respectively.
 
https://youtu.be/PIoM1XdwYcg
https://youtu.be/PF5XcQ5j53k
https://youtu.be/dNG_KXFSTNk

For a complete list of Fish Pond Buddy blog posts on fish farm-related topics, please click the Index page.