Fish for the People Vol.17 No.1
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12066/4808
2024-03-29T05:39:30ZFish for the People Vol. 17 No. 1
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12066/4816
Fish for the People Vol. 17 No. 1
2019-01-01T00:00:00ZHarnessing the benefits of breeding the Asian medicinal leech
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12066/4815
Harnessing the benefits of breeding the Asian medicinal leech
Wannapat, Nutthapong
The Asian medicinal leech (Hirudinaria manillensis (Lesson, 1842)) can be found in freshwater environments including swamps and paddy fields. In Thailand, the Asian medicinal leech is most abundant in the Northeastern Provinces such as in Nakhon Phanom and Sakhon Nakhon. In Na Wa District, Nakhon Phanom Province for example, where the villagers have been capturing leeches in swamps during the rainy season (June-September) for more than 30 years as an alternative for rice farming. The people from Na Wa District also go to other provinces such as in Udon Thani, Nong Khai, and Khon Kaen to gather leeches. Wearing rubber boots, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts to protect themselves from leech attacks, the leech gatherers use scoop nets to capture the leeches attached in aquatic plants. Live leeches are sold to middlemen for THB 300-400/kg (400-500 leeches/kg) or about US$ 10-12/kg, while dried leeches are sold for THB 1,500-2,000/kg or about US$ 500-700/kg. For 30 years, Thailand exports dried H. manillensis to China, and in 2018 about 20 tons valued at THB 20 million or USD 590 thousand. The current price of powdered dried leech in the international market ranges between USD 10/kg and USD 200/kg. Currently, the only source of this medicinal leech in Thailand is from the wild and there are no leech farms to support the increasing demand. Consequently, H. manillensis population, like other populations of medicinal leeches, could be at risk of overexploitation and extinction. This study on the breeding and hatching of H. manillensis is therefore conducted with the aim of providing useful information on the possibility of establishing leech farms to increase the production and prevent the depletion of Asian medicinal leech population from the natural environment.
2019-01-01T00:00:00ZBringing fish catch to homes fresh via fish liner or walkathon: Agusan del Norte, Philippines in focus
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12066/4814
Bringing fish catch to homes fresh via fish liner or walkathon: Agusan del Norte, Philippines in focus
Rayos, Joseph Christopher C.; Eom, Ciara Mae B.; Dela Cruz, Cathleen D.
In many rural areas in the Philippines, fresh fish catch does not usually reach the communities and homes because of transportation and accessibility constraints. As a result, the fish catch that comes to rural areas had already been either smoked or pickled or salted or processed in some other ways. Many enterprising sellers, not only the big-time traders but also retailers, have made several attempts to reach the rural communities in the Philippines immediately upon getting their share of fresh fish catch, but these only resulted in heavy competitions to the disadvantage of the retailers or the small-scale vendors who could not easily access the rural areas due to inaccessible road conditions. For this reason, retailers or small-scale vendors have rethought of the ways on how to reach the rural consuming public in no time, and this paved the way for the conceptualization of the “fish liner” or “walkathon.” Innovation and a showcase of modern Filipino resiliency, a simple motorcycle which is eventually the most convenient transportation that could easily reach the rural areas, has been remodeled into a vehicle for transporting fresh fish for sale. Although “walkathon” refers to a walking marathon, the locals in Agusan del Norte use it to denote an ingenious means of transporting and vending fresh fish catch. A “fish liner” on the other hand, is also a coined term to denote transportation of fish by land, just as an airliner is an air transportation system or a sea liner for sea transport. For the “walkathon” or “fish liner,” two styrofoam boxes which could accommodate a maximum of 50 kg each of fresh fish, are set on the right and left sides of the motorcycle and another on the posterior edge. Using a plastic straw, a weighing scale is tied in the middle of the two boxes. A megaphone is also set in between the right box and the box on the edge. A wooden frame is constructed and fitted on the motorcycle to provide stable support for the boxes. These “walkathons” could be found roaming not only around the streets and main thoroughfares of Agusan del Norte but most especially in the rural areas of the Province.
2019-01-01T00:00:00ZApplication of molecular techniques for sustainable management of inland fisheries: The experience of Indonesia
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12066/4813
Application of molecular techniques for sustainable management of inland fisheries: The experience of Indonesia
Wibowo, Arif; Sulit, Virgilia T.
Indonesia embraces large areas of inland water resources with potentials for development of its inland capture fisheries. To obtain the optimal and sustainable benefits from these resources for the benefit of present and future generations, an appropriate and systematic fisheries management effort is necessary. Application of the molecular approach through the DNA mitochondrial sequencing techniques could be used as basis for the management of the fishery resources in inland waters. For example, in an attempt to manage the fisheries habitat at the Merang Peat Swamp, information on the eleven freshwater fish species that spawn in this unique ecosystem was first established using molecular technique. The findings led to the identification of the fish species that inhabit the area based on the analysis done during the early stages of the life cycles of the species. These findings also imply that peat swamps are also important habitat of various fish species, especially during spawning, despite having extreme water conditions that might not even be ideal to sustain fish life. Results of the study on the use of molecular approach also provided the information needed for the management of belida fish or giant featherback (Chitala lopis). Specifically, the findings indicated that management of this fish species must be focused regionally because of the existence of more than one population in one river, which is not the same as in the case of the semah fish or mahseer (Tor tambroides). Nonetheless, the analysis made on these two species using molecular markers has led to the information on the presence of genetic diversity in belida and semah fish species in two separate rivers in Sumatra, a phenomenon which should be considered in the conservation efforts of these two fish species.
2019-01-01T00:00:00Z