DA, research group partnership yields 1.1 tons of pompano

The Department of Agriculture (DA) announced over the weekend that a collaborative research project between the DA-National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (DA-NFRDI) and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center – Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) yielded 1.1 tons of snubnose pompano at the Freshwater Fisheries Research and Development Center (FFRDC) in Butong, Taal, Batangas.

The partial harvest is part of the ongoing project, “Grow-out Culture of Snubnose Pompano in Brackish Water Ponds,” which evaluates the growth, survival, and production rates of pompano in brackish water ponds. The project also assesses the economic viability of pompano farming and aims to disseminate the technology to fish farmers.

The pompano were cultured in a 2,300 square meter brackish water pond with a stocking density of two fish per square meter. After six months, the pompano reached an average marketable weight of 364 grams with an impressive 80 percent survival rate.

The DA credited the success of the project to the collaborative efforts of NFRDI Executive Director Dr. Lilian Garcia, SEAFDEC/AQD Chief Dan Baliao, Project Leaders Dr. Maria Theresa Mutia and Dr. Roger Edward Mamauag, along with technical assistants Edgar Somblingo and Janice Tambirao.