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Philippine aquaculture is hampered by the lack of a "trash fish" — a cheap fish that can be used to feed farmed fish — as most fish in the Philippines are directly valuable for human consumption. This increases the cost of farming carnivorous fish. Another common impediment is access to juveniles, for fish, crabs, and shrimp.
The Philippines is an archipelagic country with a large coastal population. In many areas, communities rely heavily on fisheries for subsistence and livelihoods. Both capture fisheries and aquaculture occur inland and at sea, producing various fish, shellfish, other invertebrates, and seaweed.
Aquaculture in the Philippines (which includes fish, shellfish, and seaweed farming) comprises 39% of the country's fisheries sector. The rest of the fisheries sector is composed of commercial and municipal fishing. [59] Some of the more common aquaculture products in the Philippines are bangus, tilapia, catfish and mudfish, and prawns. [59]
Aquaculture is the most rapidly expanding food industry in the world [7] as a result of declining wild fisheries stocks and profitable business. [2] In 2008, aquaculture provided 45.7% of the fish produced globally for human consumption; increasing at a mean rate of 6.6% a year since 1970.
Their ability to generate positive spillover effects, increasing fish stocks in the surrounding water, is also recognized by some communities. Some protected areas can also provide alternative livelihoods through ecotourism. [59] Many MPAs in the Philippines include both a core no-take area, and a surrounding area with regulated activities.
A number of countries have created their own national standards and certifying bodies for organic aquaculture. While there is not simply one international organic aquaculture standardization process, one of the largest certification organizations is the Global Trust, [9] which delivers assessments and certifications to match the highest quality organic aquaculture standards.
The aquaculture or farming of piscivorous fish, like salmon, does not help the problem because they need to eat products from other fish, such as fish meal and fish oil. Studies have shown that salmon farming has major negative impacts on wild salmon, as well as the forage fish that need to be caught to feed them.
Sustainable fish farming practices do not use dangerous chemicals, hormones, or antibiotics on their fish, which benefits the surrounding marine environment, and the human consumers themselves. In addition to this, sustainable fish farming is able to control what their fish eat: farmers will take care to keep the fish's diet healthy and balanced.