How to Clean and Make Sun-dried Tilapia

How to Clean and Make Sun-dried (“Dinaing” or “Pinindar”) Tilapia

Although our fish farm is used predominantly to raise bangus and white prawns (p. vannamei), we do devote a small part of the farm to growing organic tilapia.

Newly caught tilapia

All male tilapia which grow bigger

 In my early years of fish farming (2006-2007), we bought a batch of molobicus tilapia fingerlings (5,000 pieces) from a supplier in Nueva Ecija at the Central Luzon State University. It’s a hybrid tilapia (cross between O. mossambicus and O. niloticus) that thrives or adapts well in brackishwater ponds (that is, it is saline tolerant). The molobicus when grown in brackishwater is said to taste better, grows faster and bigger, with higher quality flesh.

At that time, we also bought a new batch of niloticus. We were told that customers then were still unfamiliar with molobicus. With dark skin they may be mistaken for wild tilapia and shunned by customers. Being new to fish farming, we went ahead and  bought 5,000 pieces of niloticus (which have lighter colored skin). Over the years, they crossbred and we got the tilapia we have now.
 
From experience we also notice that brackishwater fish farms in our vicinity can’t help but have wild tilapia straying into the bangus ponds. These are often carried by floodwaters from overflowing adjacent freshwater ponds. The body of wild tilapia is colored black (for male) and greyish (for female). Both have reddish color at the tail (caudal fin) and the edge of its back (dorsal) fin. It's notoriously slow-growing but its taste is quite good.

The wild ones also crossbred with our molobicus and Niloticus and we got a  mishmash of tilapia species swimming in our ponds. Needless to say, quality has gone down a bit (in terms of growth rate) due to possible uncontrolled inbreeding, although taste has remained good.

Now we're planning to get a new batch of molobicus tilapia, for better breeding and productivity. We can do this after the end of the current cropping cycle when we totally drain our ponds and take out all the fish including tilapia (for an idea on how to do drain harvesting, click this).  

We’ll sell the market-sized tilapia, transfer the molubicus hybrids (juveniles and fries) and remove the wild ones. The new batch can then improve the breed of the existing hybrids.

We consider tilapia the fish for all seasons. It costs less compared to other fish, tastes really good, can be bought anywhere and anytime, and lends itself to easy cooking of various local tilapia dishes.

In addition, we feed our tilapia mostly with natural feeds (such as "tariktik" or rooted submerged aquatic plants, "lumut" or filamentous grass-green algae, "ipil-ipil" leaves, kangkong leaves), "trigo" (wheat) feeds, rice bran feeds, and some commercial feeds especially a few weeks before harvest.

In this blog post, we’ll show how to clean tilapia. My farm workers were planning to sun dry (“pindar” in Pangasinense) tilapia which they caught together with the bangus, so we’ll show how it’s done from Step 1.

1. Wash the entire tilapia batch to be cleaned to remove grime, other dirt materials on the surface of the fish. 

Newly washed tilapia ready for cleaning/cutting

2. Using scissors, cut off the following for each fish: tail (or caudal) fin, back (dorsal) fin.

Cutting off of back fin

 3. Cut off the pelvic and anal fins (tummy portion) and pectoral fins (at sides).

Cutting off of fins at tummy and sides

4. Cut off a portion of mouth (about a quarter of an inch from the end of the mouth). 

Cutting off part of mouth

Note that the above fins are often removed when tilapia is being cleaned for home consumption. But for other occasions, when presentation is important in the tilapia dish, there is no need to cut off the fins.
 
5. Scrape off the fish scales (“kaliskis) from the body using a sharp knife. Direction of scraping is from tail to head.

Scraping off scales

6. Slice the body of the fish into two at the spine (back or dorsal portion).

Slicing the body from the back or spine portion

7. Once the fish is sliced into two, pry open until butterfly shaped. Remove the guts (stomach and intestines). Remove also the gills (“hasang”).

Removing the guts and gills

8. Soak the gutted fish in a basin containing clean water.

Soaking in basin with water

9. Remove (push using fingernail) the blood attached to the spine or backbone. Note: if not removed, the fish will retain a fishy (“malansa”) odor and will spoil easily.

Removing blood in spine or backbone

10. Remove by hand the skin or tissue inside the upper part of the mouth to remove the source of slime-like oral mucus (so that the fish will not be full of mucus or spittle (“malaway”)).

Removing skin/tissue in mouth

Removing skin/tissue in the upper part of mouth

11. Wash the cleaned out tilapia thoroughly in water. Place in a small plastic basin.

Cleaned out tilapia in a small basin

12. Totally drain the tilapia to completely remove water before salting.

13. Sprinkle with salt. Note: depending on preference, additional spices can be applied like vinegar, pepper, garlic.

14. Spread the tilapia pieces on a large woven tray (“bilao”).

Tilapia in woven trays for sun drying

15. Place the tray (“bilao”) in a place where it can be exposed to direct sun, such as on the roof. In my farm, workers sun dry the tilapia for two days from 10 a.m to 3 p.m, when the sun exposure is as its maximum.  Also, hot sun rays are avoided by the pesky house flies, so no need to cover with nets.

Sun-dried ("pinindar") tilapia

 16. After drying, the sundried tilapia is ready to be fried and served especially for breakfast with fried eggs, and sliced tomatoes, onion, and salted duck egg with hot coffee. Happy eating!

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Features of a Class A Bangus Pond

Features of a Class A Bangus Pond

Last week, I got invited to the weekend rest house of a cousin located in a Class A fishpond. It’s a two-hectare property situated in Binmaley, Pangasinan near the Manat Bridge along the Basing River bank.

My cousin and her spouse work and reside in Metro Manila. They visit and attend to their ponds during weekends.

The original property was less than two hectares. A significant amount of clearing, excavation and landfill, and dike building were done before the property became productive as a Class A fishpond.

Through land filling, area was reclaimed on which to build a small concrete house next to the river. A small bamboo shed at the other end of the property was built and serves as living quarters for the caretaker.

A small concrete weekend rest house; Basing River at the background

Rearing pond (farther pond in backgroound) - also see the caretaker's stilt shed at the end of the pond; smaller transition/rearing pond in foreground

Other improvements made were: (a) metered water supply (b) electric service connection (c) perimeter lighting (d)  concrete main gate for water exchange and control of tidal water for the ponds (e) another concrete gate for the transition/rearing pond (f) a 16 hp diesel water pump with stainless steel hose – installed at the main gate (g) additional digging work and dike construction for a smaller rearing/transition pond (h) reinforcement and strengthening of earth dikes next to the river (i) net protection for the main gate.

Concrete main gate for the main rearing pond; see the angled stainless steel hose attached to a water pump

Concrete gate at the smaller transition/rearing pond

Electric post for perimeter lighting

Net protection for the main gate inside the main rearing pond

Closer view of cement gate with retractable door; see other end of stainless steel hose connected to a water pump

Lately, (a) additional landfill work to create space for a storage shack and extra yard space and (b) building of reinforced wall beside river were undertaken around the house. My cousin also bought a small adjacent pond to be used as nursery for raising bangus fingerlings.

Reinforced concrete wall for erosion control and against wave action being built next to the Basing River

Bangus are almost of same sizes as can be seen in the rearing pond feeding area; when harvested later, the size of the bangus will be almost uniform

The property consists of: (a) one large main grow-out pond (b) a much smaller transition/rearing pond (c) and 2 nursery ponds.

Unique features of a Class A (or first class) fish farm that gives it a premium over Class B and C ponds are:

1. Located next to a river – The property is situated at the bank right next to the Basing River. This is the key feature (location) that gives this type of ponds the highest class status among bangus farms. The brackish river water is the prime source of water of the Class A pond.

2. Continuous water exchange – A Class A pond benefits from the regular water exchange through the ebb and flow of the tides. It is watered during high tide. Draining occurs during low tides. It has the ability to readily clean up pond water when there is a danger of water quality deteriorating, or if there is “tangok” (fish stress due to insufficient dissolved oxygen content of the pond water).

A fish farm can also be classified as Class A when it has exclusive use of a short supply canal that draws water from a creek that is in turn connected to a main river. However, the canal should be maintained constantly and dredged at least once a year to make sure that tidal waters flow in and out of the ponds.

3. Higher stocking density – it can support a higher stocking density of bangus under a semi-intensive culture. With one meter of depth, it can accommodate 8,000 to 10,000 fingerlings per hectare that feed on natural food during the first 45 to 60 days and on commercial feeds thereafter. When dissolved oxygen is low, my cousin runs the water pump installed at the main gate to pump in water and serve as aerator.

4. More uniform bangus sizes – during grow-out, sizes of adult bangus tend to be more uniform and their rate of growth does not vary as much as those in a closed system Class C pond. As a result, during harvest, average size of bangus tends to be bigger, total number of kilos of bangus sold is higher – means higher peso sales for the fish farm operator/owner.

5. More conducive pond environment for raising prawns in polyculture with bangus – Survival rate for tiger prawns is much higher when raised in a Class A pond compared to say, Class C (a closed system) pond. Hence Class A ponds generate greater profit potential (higher bangus sales plus prawn sales) per square meter compared to lower class ponds.

6. Easier method of harvesting – Depending on the size of the rearing or grow-out pond and pond layout, method of harvesting for Class A ponds can be through total draining, "pasubang", or use of haul seine net ("kalokor"). If all the bangus stock and prawns are to be taken out, then total draining is done during low tide. Or alternatively bangus can be harvested using “pasubang” (method of catching bangus by netting selectively the fish swimming against the current during inflow of water). 

In a closed system Class C pond, such as mine, we have to wait for the water level to recede in the dry season (March or April) before we can do total draining (“limas”). Else, if the water level is still high, we need to spend more for diesel fuel and water pump rental (due to longer hours) to drain out the water. This will not be cost-effective, so we might as well wait for the dry months. 

Usual method of harvesting bangus in lower class ponds is by haul seine net (“kalokor”). But then, you can't take out all your stock (bangus, tilapia, and prawns) using this method. In these types of ponds, when total draining is resorted to during dry months, "kalokor" is done first to take out most of the bangus and tilapia. The rest of the fish and the prawns are hand picked after the water is totally drained out. 


For more details on harvesting through pond draining ("limas") click this.

7. Better pond preparation – adequate sun drying of the pond can be done readily by the fish farmer and there is enough time to clean, level, and plow the pond bottom. You can also have enough time to build a diagonal canal to help you in your harvesting. After that the usual pest and predator control (using tobacco dust and/or tea seed), liming (if needed), spreading of chicken manure and inorganic fertilizers can adequately be done.

In my case as a Class C pond operator, I wish I had more time to sun dry my pond and plow my pond bottom. But no, to my dismay, water quickly creeps in within a day or even a few hours. So I just had to be content with pest control, liming, fertilization.

8. Presence of wild extraneous (non-bangus) fish varieties - These fish come in from the river and are captured in the confinement net near the main inlet gate. They provide miscellaneous income for both the pond operator and his caretaker. Extraneous fish are harvested at the same time as the regular bangus harvest. Proceeds of the sale of extraneous fish are usually shared equally between the owner and caretaker.

Confinement area for extraneous fish (foreground); main gate at end

Confinement area for extraneous fish outside of the main gate with view of the Basing River

 9. Use of river transport for harvest and supplies - After harvesting, bangus and other fish are brought to the Dagupan fish center by motorized boat. Use of boat is more efficient as it can load much more quantity of harvest through a shorter, more direct route to the Dagupan fish center, compared to land transport. Bulk supplies such as feeds, chicken manure, fertilizers, etc. are also brought in by boat.

In the case of this Class A fish farm, the hired boat loaded with bangus traverses the Basing River and docks right beside the Dagupan (Magsaysay market ) fish center specifically at the Pantal river bank. Some "consignacion" owners (brokers) are situated next to the river bank. Newly arrived tubs from the boat quickly undergo bangus sorting as to size. If the "consignacion" is situated further down the building, these are loaded into carts and brought into the consignacion’s assigned stall.

Harvesting is done by at least 15 workers who are all expected to accompany the catch in the boat on the way to the fish center. The 15 workers are divided into 3 groups – those who stock the bangus in tubs ("banyera"), those who count the bangus prior to selling, those who pull the loaded tubs from the boat into the embankment over a plank.

Class A ponds can be leased at Php 40,000 to 50,000 a year. For those interested in buying a Class A pond, current going rate in our municipality is Php P150 (US$ 2.90) per square meter or even less. 

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How Much to Feed your Milkfish ("Bangus") - Use Samples

How Much to Feed your Milkfish (“Bangus”) - Use Samples 

How to tell if bangus being grown in the pond are ready for harvest? How big and heavy are they? What is the range of sizes to date? Pieces per kilo? Number of sacks of feeds still needed? Number of weeks/days to go before harvest? How many kilos are needed per day?

For a bangus grower, these questions always crop up, as they affect operating costs and profits. So it's best to address them based on facts on the ground and not on estimates or guesswork.

Visual check of the fish in the pond is often not effective. A better way is actual sampling of the bangus’ current size, weight, and condition. This is where the use of bangus trap for sampling purposes comes in.

To be sure, there are other ways of getting sample bangus from the pond. But this is how we do it in our bangus farm.

How to Rig up a Bangus Sampling Trap

a. Prepare the following items: large sorting net (“saplar” in Pangasinense) – looks like an inverted mosquito net, 3 bamboo poles or stakes ("tulos" or “onoon”), 2 sets of pulling rope, a scoop net (“tapigo”).

b. Choose the best spot in the grow-out pond wherein to rig up the trap. Usually it’s the feeding area where the bangus have gotten used to being fed commercial feeds and where they tend to flock.

c. Set up two bamboo poles where one end of the sorting net is to be attached. Distance between the two poles should be at least the width of the net.

Trap net (blue) being set up at the feeding area; worker burying one end of pole; black net to the left is the feeding area perimeter net

d. Tie one corner of the net to one stake. Tie the other corner to the second pole. For greater stability, anchor a third pole in between the two stakes; tie the middle part of the net to this third pole.

One corner of net being tied to a pole

Far end of trap net (blue) tied to three poles

e. Extend the sorting net lengthwise toward the side of the pond bounded by the earth dikes. Lay the loose ends of the net on the ground.

f. Attach pulling ropes at each corner of the net. Tie them up temporarily to a stake on the ground or to a tree trunk, or ask a pond helper to hold the rope. 

A pulling rope being attached to one corner of the net near the earth dike

Holding a pulling rope attached to the left corner of the net 

g. When the net is fully extended, depress the net by foot to the pond bottom except the portion attached to the bamboo poles at the far end. Do this until almost all portions of the net are hidden at the bottom.

Net being buried at the pond bottom starting from far end

Pond worker continues to depress net by foot to pond bottom

Trap net almost completely on pond bottom; only the far end of net is visible

h. Cast floater feeds in the area above the hidden submerged net. Out of habit, the bangus will gradually be attracted to the floater feeds.

Floater feeds being thrown in the area above the hidden trap net; see the bangus in feeding frenzy

i. Assign two persons to man the pulling ropes at the side of the pond (one person for each rope) (in this case it's my overseer and assistant caretaker).

Two persons needed to hold a pulling rope at each corner of the trap net

j. When enough bangus flock to and start feeding in the area above the lowered net, pull both ropes simultaneously. Both sides of the net will be pulled up from the bottom as a result. Those caught feeding at the middle will be trapped inside the net.

Two persons pulling the rope attached to the trap net

Trap net after being completely pulled up; see trapped bangus inside

k. Fold the net starting from the bamboo poles at the far end, so that the net’s area is gradually reduced. The trapped bangus will tend to move to one side of the net. Continue folding and tightening the net until all the trapped bangus are retained in a small area.

Net being folded and tightened until all bangus trapped inside are confined in a small space

l. Randomly pick bangus by hand, say 10 to 15 pieces, from the entire catch inside the net and transfer them to a scoop net (“tapigo”). Return the rest of the trapped bangus to the pond. 

Holding a scooping net ("tapigo") where selected bangus samples are placed

m. Sort the randomly picked sample by size (such as market size, size 8, size 10, 12, etc).

13 bangus samples taken from one grow-out pond (Main Pond)

9 bangus samples taken from an adjacent grow-out pond (East Pond) following the same procedure

 n. Weigh the fish by size then divide by the quantity to get the average body weight per fish. Compute the number of pieces per kilo for each size. Get other dimensions: body width, body length including tail, body length except tail.

Below are the results of our actual samples (Note: we conducted sampling using the trap in two grow-out ponds - the Main Pond and East Pond.)

a. Main Pond

Size	Sample Qty	Total Weight (kg.)	Ave. Body Wt/Pc. (gms)	Pcs./ Kilo	Body Width (in.)	Body Length (in.)	Body Length (w/ tail)(in.)
Market size	7	1.5	214	4.7	2.5	9.5	11.75
Size 8	3	.375	125	8	2	8	10
Size 12 (plus)	3	.2	67	15	1.5	6.5	8.25

b. East Pond

Size	Sample Qty	Total Weight (kg.)	Ave. Body Wt/Pc. (gms)	Pcs./ Kilo	Body Width (in.)	Body Length (in.)	Body Length (w/ tail)(in.)
Market size	1	.2	200	5	2.5	8.5	10.5
Size 8	3	.4	133	7.5	2	7.5	9.75
Size 10 (plus)	2	.2	100	10	1.75	6.6	8.375
Size 12 (plus)	2	.15	75	13.3	1.5	6	8
Size 12	1	.05	50	20	1.25	5.5	6.5

Growth of bangus in the Main Pond is more advanced than those in the East Pond (this is as expected because stocking was done a month earlier in the Main Pond). 

As I see it, partial harvest can already be scheduled for the Main Pond in two to three weeks. Based on the table above, more than half of the sample taken were already market sized, i.e., 7 of 13 bangus samples.

As fish farmer, doing partial harvest in, say, two to three weeks will give me the following advantages:

1. provide cash for working capital – such as for buying more commercial feeds for the still undersized bangus

2. reduce the stocking density in the Main Pond and allow faster growth of remaining bangus

3. take advantage of the still favorable pond condition (which is expected to worsen in a few months due to the onset of El Nino in January 2015).

4. take advantage of good timing and expected higher demand and prices for bangus (Christmas season was nearing).

Regarding feeds requirement, see the average body weight per piece of the bangus samples (in grams) in the table above. Determine the amount of feeds to be applied daily (average body weight in grams x feeding rate x stocking density). From this, you can compute the total number of kilos that you will need per day as well as the estimated total number of sacks (each sack contains 25 kilos) until harvest time.

For example, if you have 4,000 pieces of size 12 juveniles, average weight of which is 50 grams apiece. Assume feeding rate of 4% of body weight. This means you need to feed the bangus 2 grams of feeds a day. Multiply by 4,000 pieces, and your total feeds required for the day would be 8,000 grams or 8 kilos.

In our case, we feed 3 times a day. So divide 8 kilos by 3 and you get 2.6 kilos per feeding, 3 times a day. In estimating the number of sacks till harvest time, you need to use a higher average body weight over the next weeks or so, as the bangus grow bigger.

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