The pond fisheries of the Philippines are concerned primarily with the cultivation of bañgos, or milkfish, Chanos chanos (Forskål). At present about 70,000 hectares of bañgos fishponds are scattered throughout the Philippine Archipelago, representing an investment of almost three hundred million pesos. These ponds annually produce approximately 24,500,000 kilograms of fish valued at nearly forty million pesos.
Just when the first fishponds were built in this country cannot be definitely ascertained, but this industry is old, presumed to have been started along the shores of Manila Bay. Although it has not developed along the scientific process of investigation, the industry has attained a high state of development. This has been the result of long years of experience of our fishpond caretakers as evidenced by the fact that certain phases of this fishery have become highly specialized and attained the import¬ance of industries in themselves such as (a) the bañgos fry industry; (b) the management of the bañgos fishpond nurseries; (c) the management of the rearing pond system; and (d) the commercial handling of marketable bañgos.
View the PDF Article