A survey of chemical and biological products used in intensive prawn farms in the Philippines

Abstract

With attractive prawn export prices and the availability of hatchery fry and commercial feeds, Philippine aquaculture has experienced a shift from milkfish to prawn Penaeus monodon and an intensification from traditional and extensive prawn culture to higher stocking densities. This paper features the results of a survey of intensive prawn farms (n = 21) in Western Visayas and Northern Mindanao conducted in 1990. Average farm size, production, feeding and water management are described. To solve the self-pollution characteristic of intensive ponds, the farms utilized some 40 chemical and biological products; at least another 35 were available in the market at the time of the study. These include therapeutants and disinfectants, soil conditioners, bacteria-enzyme preparations, algicides and piscicides, plankton growth promoters, and feed additives. The possible ecological effects of effluents drained into adjacent marine waters are discussed; some recommendations are given.