Cage Culture of Grouper (Lapu-lapu) Part 1

Summary

Christopher Conas, originally from Texas, shares his experience with grouper culture in the Philippines. After moving there in 2007, he was inspired by local fish farming practices. He highlights the value of species like tiger and green grouper, and discusses the benefits of Mariculture Parks for foreign investors. Conas emphasizes the importance of proper training, patience, and suitable conditions for successful grouper farming. He also mentions the crucial role of reliable hatchery support and careful acclimation of fingerlings to ensure healthy stock and consistent production.

Takeaways

• 🌊 Christopher Conas, originally from Texas, USA, now lives in the Philippines and is involved in grouper fish culture.
• 🐟 The Philippines is home to high-value grouper species like the Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (Tiger Grouper) and Epinephelus coioides (Green Grouper), making it a suitable location for grouper aquaculture.
• 💼 Christopher started exploring the fishing industry in the Philippines after observing the affordable capital implements needed for fish production during a visit to a BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources) station.
• 🏝️ Mariculture Parks in the Philippines, such as the one in Guiuan, offer convenient investment opportunities for foreigners due to their surveyed and protected water quality.
• 🌀 Although the location offers some protection from harsh weather, the farm experienced minimal damage from recent typhoons, with slight stock loss.
• 🪸 For successful grouper culture, it’s important to have a water depth of at least 5 to 6 meters, as groupers settle at the bottom and require enough vertical space for growth.
• 🔄 Christopher uses a specialized cage design for grouper farming to separate them by size and prevent cannibalism, with grading done once a week.
• 👨‍🏫 He emphasizes that patience and proper training are essential for successful grouper farming, as they require different techniques compared to other species like bangus or pompano.
• 🏢 Hatchery support is crucial for a consistent production cycle, and Christopher’s farm now has a steady supply of fingerlings from Kingdom Prize Seafood, eliminating previous supply issues.
• 📦 The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) recommends a stocking density of 20 pieces per cubic meter to maintain adequate oxygen levels and prevent issues like parasite and bacterial infections.

Q & A

What species of grouper are mentioned in the video?

The species of grouper mentioned are Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (tiger grouper) and Epinephelus coioides (green grouper).

Why is the speaker interested in culturing grouper in the Philippines?

The speaker is interested in culturing grouper because they are high-value species in the Philippines and present good business opportunities for expanding mariculture.

What challenges did the speaker face when starting grouper culture in the Philippines?

One of the main challenges was finding a reliable supplier for hatchery-bred stock. Initially, there were inconsistencies in supply, but this issue was resolved after connecting with a consistent supplier, Kingdom Prize Seafood.

What is important about the site selection for grouper culture?

Site selection is crucial, particularly the depth of the water. For grouper culture, the ideal water depth is around 5-6 meters to provide enough vertical space for dense stocking and to accommodate the grouper's tendency to settle at the bottom.

How does the speaker's cage design differ from traditional cages?

The speaker's cage is specifically designed for grouper, with individual enclosures (3m x 3m) to separate fish by size, which helps control cannibalism and ensures even growth rates.

What are some key factors for ensuring the successful culture of grouper?

Key factors include site selection, stocking density, proper grading by size to prevent cannibalism, and attention to water quality, including dissolved oxygen levels. Consistent hatchery support is also critical.

What training did the speaker receive to improve grouper culture?

The speaker received training at the SEAFDEC finfish hatchery, which provided technical knowledge on grouper culture and continues to offer support when needed.

What advice does the speaker offer to those starting grouper culture?

The speaker emphasizes patience and careful attention to the fish. Grouper require a different approach compared to other species, and it is important to use specific techniques for their culture rather than general methods for other species like bangus or pompano.

What is the recommended stocking density for grouper cages?

The recommended stocking density is 20 fish per cubic meter, as this ensures adequate dissolved oxygen levels and helps maintain fish health.

How does the speaker manage the transportation of grouper fingerlings from the hatchery?

The speaker ensures that fingerlings are acclimated to the water temperature and salinity at the site by gradually mixing the ocean water with the water in the transport bags. This helps minimize stress on the fish during transport.

Outlines

00:00

🌅 Introduction and Background of the Speaker

Christopher Conas, originally from San Antonio, Texas, shares his experience living in the Philippines. He discusses his journey of discovering the potential of grouper fish farming, particularly with the species Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (Tiger Grouper) and Epinephelus coioides (Green Grouper), both of which are highly valued in the Philippines. His decision to stay in the country led him to explore opportunities in the fishing industry, particularly after an inspiring visit to a BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources) station in the Kigan Islands.

05:01

🏝️ Establishing in the Philippines: Overcoming Initial Challenges

Christopher recounts his early days in the Philippines, exploring the country and reflecting on how he became involved in the fishing industry. He expresses gratitude for the support provided by BFAR, especially through a key figure, Mr. Buhos from Region 7. The discussion highlights how BFAR's establishment of mariculture parks across the Philippines, including the one in Hai, provides a unique opportunity for foreign investors. These parks are strategically surveyed for water quality and offer natural protections from extreme weather, such as typhoons. Despite the challenges of operating in such an environment, including typhoon-related stock losses, Christopher shares how their grouper cages have withstood these events.

10:01

🌊 Ideal Conditions for Grouper Farming

Christopher discusses the optimal conditions required for farming groupers, particularly focusing on the importance of water depth, which should ideally be around 5-6 meters to ensure adequate vertical space for stocking the fish. He mentions the specific design of their cages, which are tailored to the needs of groupers, such as the ability to separate fish by size to prevent cannibalism. Weekly grading is essential to maintain healthy stock and minimize cannibalism. He emphasizes the need for patience and proper training in grouper culture, noting that traditional methods used for other fish species may not be applicable.

🐟 The Importance of Patience and Proper Training

Christopher highlights the significance of patience and dedication in grouper farming, explaining that the success of the fish relies on the care and attention they receive. He shares his own experience in receiving training at SEAFDEC's finfish hatchery and how their guidance continues to support his work. He stresses that grouper farming requires a different approach compared to other fish species and that proper training is critical. Christopher notes that the fish thrive in the natural environment of the Philippines, where the species are already well-adapted, ensuring successful growth with the right management.

💡 Overcoming Early Hatchery Supply Issues

One of the early challenges Christopher faced was securing a consistent supply of hatchery-bred grouper fingerlings. This problem was solved after meeting Jojo Sapalo, the owner of Kingdom Prize Seafood, who now supplies all their fingerlings. He stresses the importance of acquiring stock that is tested for viral diseases like Viral Nervous Necrosis (VNN) and describes the importance of checking the health of the fish upon arrival, ensuring they swim well and are not suffering from swim bladder issues due to transport stress. Proper acclimation to water temperature and salinity is also crucial to reduce stress on the fingerlings.

🚚 Best Practices for Hatchery Stock Management and Transportation

Christopher provides detailed insights into the process of receiving and managing hatchery stock. He describes how fingerlings are acclimated to local water conditions upon arrival to minimize shock. Regular supply from the hatchery allows him to predict production cycles, ensuring a steady flow of fish to meet market demand. Transport times are kept short, ideally under 6 hours, to avoid excessive mortality due to stress and lack of dissolved oxygen. He also explains the recommended stocking density, which helps maintain a healthy environment for the fish, preventing issues like oxygen depletion and disease outbreaks.

🔬 Maintaining Stocking Density and Health of the Fish

Christopher concludes by emphasizing the importance of adhering to recommended stocking densities, typically 20 pieces per cubic meter. Overcrowding can lead to oxygen depletion, slower growth, and increased risk of disease and parasites. Following BFAR and SEAFDEC guidelines ensures the health of the fish and the sustainability of the operation. By maintaining proper conditions, farmers can achieve consistent, high-quality production of groupers, safeguarding both the well-being of the fish and the profitability of the business.

Keywords

💡Grouper Culture

Grouper culture refers to the farming and cultivation of grouper fish species. In the video, the speaker discusses his experience with grouper culture in the Philippines, focusing on species like the tiger grouper and green grouper. The cultivation of these high-value species is important for local fisheries and foreign investors.

💡Epinephelus fuscoguttatus

Epinephelus fuscoguttatus, also known as the tiger grouper, is one of the grouper species mentioned in the video. It is a high-value fish in the Philippines, making it a key target for aquaculture. The speaker mentions the importance of culturing these fish for economic purposes.

💡Mariculture Park

A Mariculture Park is a designated area in the ocean used for aquaculture, where marine species like grouper are cultured. The video references a Mariculture Park in Kigan Island where foreign investors are encouraged to establish businesses. These parks offer surveyed water quality and protection from extreme weather conditions, making them ideal for fish farming.

💡Stocking Density

Stocking density refers to the number of fish kept in a specific volume of water. The Bureau of Fisheries recommends 20 pieces of fish per cubic meter to ensure optimal growth and health. If overstocked, fish may face issues such as lack of oxygen or increased parasites, which affects their growth.

💡Hatchery Support

Hatchery support refers to the supply of young fish (fingerlings) from hatcheries, which is crucial for maintaining a consistent fish farming operation. The speaker talks about his relationship with a hatchery supplier, Kingdom Priz Seafood, which resolved the issue of inconsistent stock availability.

💡BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources)

BFAR is the government agency responsible for the development and management of fisheries in the Philippines. The speaker mentions BFAR's support in providing technical assistance and guidance on fish culture practices. BFAR also helps regulate aquaculture practices to maintain fish health and production.

💡Salinity Acclimation

Salinity acclimation is the process of slowly adjusting fish to the salt content in the water of their new environment. The speaker emphasizes the importance of carefully integrating ocean water into the transport bags of grouper fingerlings to ensure that they are not shocked by differences in salinity.

💡Cannibalism

Cannibalism in fish culture refers to larger fish preying on smaller ones within the same enclosure. The speaker describes how grouper are prone to cannibalism if not separated by size, necessitating the regular grading and separation of fish to prevent losses due to this behavior.

💡Viral Nervous Necrosis (VNN)

Viral Nervous Necrosis is a disease that affects the nervous system of fish, leading to high mortality rates in species like grouper. The speaker highlights the importance of testing fish from the hatchery for VNN before introducing them into the ocean cages, to prevent the spread of disease and ensure the health of the stock.

💡Typhoon Protection

Typhoon protection refers to the natural or structural safeguards that protect fish farms from extreme weather conditions. The video mentions that the Mariculture Park where the speaker operates is located in a bay, offering some protection from typhoons, though there is still a risk of stock loss during extreme weather events.

Highlights

Christopher Conas shares his experience with grouper culture in the Philippines.

The Philippines has valuable species of grouper, such as the tiger grouper (Epilis Fusco gatus) and green grouper (Epilis cotis).

Christopher moved to the Philippines in October 2007 and developed an interest in the fishing industry.

He was inspired by visiting a BF station in Kigan Island, noting that the capital required for fish farming was low-cost.

BF's Mariculture Parks offer a unique opportunity for foreign investors to fully own businesses without a national partnership.

Grouper farming requires specific site conditions, such as a water depth of around 5-6 meters to ensure optimal growth.

Grouper enclosures need to be designed for size grading to prevent cannibalism, with grading done weekly.

Grouper culture differs from traditional methods used for other species like bangus or pompano due to the unique behavior of the fish.

Christopher received his training from the finfish hatchery at SEAFDEC, which provided technical advice.

One of the major challenges faced early on was finding a reliable source for hatchery-bred grouper stock.

JoJo Sapalo, from Kingdom Prize Seafood, became a reliable supplier of fingerlings, solving the stock issue.

Transporting hatchery stock requires acclimating the fish to water temperature and salinity to minimize shock.

Hatchery-bred fingerlings, around 1-2 inches, are suitable for ocean cages after proper acclimatization.

Maintaining a stocking density of 20 fish per cubic meter helps ensure proper oxygen levels and healthy growth.

Christopher emphasizes the importance of patience and attention to detail in grouper culture for successful results.

Transcripts

[Music]

uh good morning everyone in the

Philippines I'm Christopher conas um I

was born in San Antonio Texas in the USA

and I live here now so you know I'm glad

to be here uh today I want to share with

you my experience with with my grouper

culture um we have a few species of of

grouper here we have uh the epilis Fusco

gatus which is the tiger grouper and we

also have the epilis cotis which is the

green grouper um both are pretty high

value species here in the Philippines

and that's why we're interested in

culturing them and expanding the culture

of those things well I I I came to the

Philippines first in October of 2007 oh

I really enjoyed being here enjoyed the

the the ocean I enjoyed being on the

beaches and all of that um but when I

really considered when when I was

wanting to stay here and live here uh I

needed to figure out what is that I

could do to earn a living here um I

traveled in in in and around the country

and in the big cities but what what

really got my attention was when I uh

when I was with with uh a friend of mine

vacationing in kigan island and we ran

across a BF station there and the people

were so warm and and friendly that you

know they invited me to to observe what

they were doing there so really I I

noticed that all the capital implements

for producing fish were really of low

cost so you know I started to consider

uh my own future in in the fishing

industry um I really have have to thank

the BF for that especially Mr buhos in

in in region 7 um he's he's been really

uh patient with us and he's he's really

helped us everywhere along the way and

um I have lots to thank for from the BF

for this uh you know this this project

here this Mar culture Park um is well

suited for for foreign investors um it's

really uh the the the few places within

the Philippines that a foreigner can can

own fully his business without a a a

partnership with a with a with a

national so the the the BF has laid out

throughout the country uh these Mar

culture Parks um the one that that we're

in now is in High um the sites

conveniently for the investors have been

already surveyed for the the quality of

the water um this one in particular it

sits in a in a bay so we're protected um

from big waves and big water all the the

the the detrimental weather um we're not

100% protected from it but uh we do have

some protection here which is more than

some other places uh that they're

culturing uh fish uh We've we've

actually had two two two typhoons that

uh we recently encountered here and you

know if you can see the cage is still

standing there's there was no real

damage uh we experienced some loss with

our stock but you know that's that's to

be expected with with the extreme

weather um what you're looking for in a

site uh especially when you're when

you're going to culture grouper um the

depth of the water is is is really uh is

Keen um you can culture other species in

shallower water uh the grouper tend to

settle on the very bottom so you know

somewhere about 5 m is probably ideal 5

or 6 M uh that gives you enough vertical

space so that you can stock pretty

densely uh your grouper in your cage um

the cage that I have is a little bit

different uh it's it's it's specifically

designed for for

grouper

um some fish you can grow in in in a

single

enclosure uh with the grouper you need

to actually be able to to separate them

by sizing grading them and we do that

once a week uh just to ensure that

there's uh no cannibalism or the

cannibalism is controlled um if you can

I guess notice behind me there's there's

small U 3x3 my M are 3 m by 3 m per

enclosure and uh the reason that's

important is that the the the actual

stock is going to grow at a different

rate uh that way there's enough room

within the the cage itself uh to

separate the size of stock into wherever

wherever they fit um I'm gonna have to

say you know if you're able to put in

the time and and and do your due

diligence with with this grouper you can

be successful with it um I think where a

lot of people come into difficulties is

that um they really haven't been trained

uh to to to culture grouper uh they try

to use the traditional methods for

bangas or uh pompo or other species that

are that are being cultured but uh our

animal it just behaves a little bit

differently um I received my training at

the sea dick uh in the finfish Hatchery

and you know we certainly are are happy

to be involved with them and they they

from time to time give us technical

advice and they're there to help us

whenever we need it um but uh the the

biggest thing is that you you must take

you must be patient with with the with

the stock um you know it's it's

something that you have to give your

love to it's something that you have to

give your attention to fully um but if

you're if you're patient you know the

the the the fish will respond to to your

patience and your love they grow well in

this environment you know this is their

natural habitat so it's not like we're

taking a foreign species and try to make

them grow here they they they naturally

occur you can you know pick them out of

the ocean wherever wherever you are here

especially here here in kih high we have

green grouper and tiger grouper and they

actually have a the Dusky tail grouper

I've seen I've seen all three of those

species here so you know our our fish

love love this environment um we're not

having any problems with uh with

temperature salinity here you know

they're they're well adapted to this

environment they're suited for this

environment well the one of the biggest

problems or the hurdles that we had to

overcome um when I was first beginning

was was to be able to get Hatchery bread

stock

um thankfully you know uh I encountered

or are met along my way JoJo sapalo he's

uh he's the owner of uh Kingdom priz

Seafood he supplies all of our

fingerlings now which you know before it

was it was a problem where one month I I

would find that the supplier had had

stock and then two or three months would

go by and there'd be no stock so you

know once we once we met uh Mr Jojo at

Kingdom prize we no longer have that

problem um well when you get them from

the Hatchery um they should they should

be test for vnn which is a viral neuron

necrosis um they should have you know

when whenever you receive any stock um

you should look that they're schooling

well that they swim together well that

they're not floating upside down um

their swim bladder sometimes get damaged

in the transport there's heat stress

there's lots of things that that can H

happen in transport um the Hatchery you

know all of our species that we're

culturing we we we need to have Hatchery

support so that we can have a consistent

production uh either monthly or yearly

or whatever your cycle is going to be

um the the the ones that come from the

Hatchery usually are um you know you can

buy 1 in or 2 in and those are big

enough to go right into the ocean uh at

at 2 in they're strong enough even

though some people don't like to take

grouper that small um it does take a

little bit more care to get them to be

uh 150 g um

when we when we get ours from the

Hatchery what we have to do is we we

uh get them acclimated to the to the

water temperature we get them acclimated

to the salinity specific to our site uh

you know when when you receive the stock

in your bags um really the first thing

you should do is get them directly into

the water with the bag sealed so that

the temperature of the ocean matches the

temperature inside the bag that's going

to eliminate some of the some of the

shock that they're going to be

experiencing and then slowly slowly

slowly you have to integrate the ocean

water with what what the the water is

inside the bag so that the salinity

becomes even and then they're not

stressed with that as well um once we

once we you know once you have a a good

Hatchery supplier you should be able to

to supply your cages or your one cage

whatever it is on a regular basis that

way you can predict your cycle um for me

that's that's really important to know

how much I'm going to be harvesting so

that way I can Target my customer by

volume um if you were lucky and had a

very large production you know you you

definitely need haty support um uh it

depends on the size uh the smaller the

size of the fish the more you can put

per bag but generally uh with about a

1in fingerling you're probably looking

at about uh 150 pieces inside of a

cellophane bag uh the transport time

usually is I don't know it's under 12

hours for sure

uh we like to keep it under 5 or 6 hours

total transport between when they

collect them from the Hatchery to when

we actually put them in the water that

way you know we're not experiencing uh

undue mortality for the the lack of

dissolved

oxygen so what what what the BF

recommends for the standard stocking

density is 20 pieces per cubic met um we

like that stocking density that density

is going to ensure that there's enough

dissolved oxygen in our in our cage that

way that some some of our stock is not

going to grow at a different rate for

lack of oxygen uh you will get that if

you try to stock them uh beyond the the

recommended density there's there's lots

of parasites that can occur lots of

bacteria that can occur with the uh you

know when you try to push the stocking

density beyond the the limit of your

animal so you know we we we definitely

stick to the recommendations from the BF

and the seif dick because it maintains

the quality of of our fish it maintains

the health of our fish and it it ensures

our production