By Manny Piñol
Malalag, Davao del.Sur – This coastal town in the Davao Gulf is now considered as the new exciting destination for aquaculture investors in the country.
Blessed with a cove where water is calm and deep at seven fathoms, the fish cages of Malalag produce some of the best tasting Bangus, Grouper, Pampano, Kitang and Danggit.
Yesterday, Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu of Maguindanao Province, whose family owns about 60 fish cages, brought me to Malalag Bay where I saw the vast potentials of Fish Cage Farming.
Malalag Mayor Peter Paul Valentin accompanied me in the short boat ride from the fish landing to the floating cages in the middle of the bay.
There, I was given the exciting privilege of scooping live Bangus from a fish cage with 60,000-fish population which could earn about P3-million after six months.
In addition to the Bangus, the fish cages are also seeded with the high-value Kitang and Danggit which fetch over 200 per kilo compared to P118 per kilo for Bangus.
For every cage, the Fish Cage farmer earns between P700,000 to P1-million after six months from an investment of about P2.4-million.
The farm gate price of Bangus now is the highest in recent years, according to Fish Cage farmers.
“We never had it so good,” said Jolton Danzar, one of the big fish cage operators in the area.
The concerns of the Fish Cage farmers now is the high cost of feeds and the lack of Bangus fry.
Mayor Valentin said that what makes Malalag Bay Bangus saleable in the market is its distinct tastiness.
The deep bay also contributes to the better growth of the caged fish and less fishkill.
Mayor Valentin said the town also ensures that there will be no overpopulation of fish cages in the Bay.
Monitoring activites are being conducted to ensure ecological balance.
Next week, scientists from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and SEAFDEC will conduct deep dives in the area to monitor the condition of the seabed.
Malalag today ships out about 60-tons of Bangus everyday which is brought to as far as Metro Manila.
The prospect of earning more revenues from the project, however, is not enough for the town to abandon its strict monitoring to ensure ecological balance in the Bay, according to Mayor Valentin.
Yesterday, I committed two Bantay Dagat patrol boats as I asked Mayor Valentin to ensure that there is no illegal fishing and that the cleanliness of the Bay is maintained.
(Video taken by Mayette Tudlas)
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