COLUMN
Regional developments Mike Rimmer Mike Rimmer is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sunshine Coast. E: mrimmer@usc.edu.au
New finfish species developments in Southeast Asia
Figure 1. Larval rearing tanks in a typical small-scale marine finfish hatchery in Bali, Indonesia. These hatcheries produce a range of species, depending on demand.
While China remains the dominant force in aquaculture production in Asia, aquaculture, and particularly mariculture, is expanding in many Southeast Asian countries. Several features of hatcheries in Southeast Asia stand out in comparison with the hatchery sector in the Northern Hemisphere: the large number of small hatcheries producing a range of fish species, and low levels of vertical integration. Hatcheries in Southeast Asia typically have simple production systems – concrete larval rearing tanks, with larger concrete tanks for microalgae and rotifer production. Influent water filtration systems are usually basic, comprising a gravity sand filter and rarely includes effective water treatment systems. For microalgal and rotifer culture, culture water is usually sterilized with sodium hypochlorite.
Even though many hatcheries are small, the cumulative impact of their production can be substantial. Indonesia is the major producer of milkfish (Chanos chanos) fingerlings. The center for hatchery production of milkfish is the Buleleng Regency in northern Bali. A 2017 survey of hatcheries in Buleleng revealed that there are 347 hatcheries, of which 17 are “complete” (i.e. they hold broodstock) and the remainder (~95%) are categorized as “small-scale” or “backyard”. All 347 hatcheries have around 5,000 larval rearing tanks, and the 17 “complete” hatcheries have 73 broodstock tanks, mostly holding milkfish broodstock. Annual exports of milkfish fingerlings from these hatcheries between 2014 and 2016 ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 billion fingerlings per annum. Most (70–80%) milkfish fingerlings are exported to the Philippines,
Hatchery Feed & Management Vol 8 Issue 3 2020