The industry or occupation devoted to the catching, processing, or selling of fish, shellfish, or other aquatic animals. A place where fish or other aquatic animals are caught. A fishing business. A hatchery for fish. The legal right to fish in specified waters or areas.

How to culture a tilapia?

Procedure
Site Selection
a. Water Supply – the site must be accessible to adequate water supply and free from contamination and pollution. Provide each compartment with an individual water inlet and drainage outlet.
b. Soil Characteristics – clay, clay loam, and sandy loam soils are best for fishpond projects. Deposits of organic matter of about 16% are best for fishponds. Avoid sandy, rocky or stony soils because these do not retain water in the pond.

c. Pond Compartments – area of grow-out ponds ranges from 1,000-10,000 sq.m. per compartment, smaller compartments are easier to manage however it requires higher cost for development.
d. Drainage – take into consideration easy drainage to facilitate harvest and proper cleaning of the pond bottom when constructing the pond.
Other factor to consider:
• Choose a flat terrain for easier excavation and leveling.
• Avoid exposure the fishpond to strong winds which generate wave action that destroys the sides of the dikes.
• Construct a diversion canal along the perimeter dike for runoff water during heavy downpour as protection from flood.
Types of Culture System
a. Extensive Culture System – the growth of fish depends on the natural food present in the pond, which is produced through fertilization. No supplemental feeds is given to the fish during the course of the culture period. The recommended stocking density of this kind of culture system is 10,000-20,000 pieces/hectare or 1-2 pcs/sq.m.
b. Semi-Intensive Culture System – the fish depends on the natural food and supplemental feeds. In this system the stocking density is 30,000-50,000 pieces/hectare or 3-5 pieces/sq.m.
c. Intensive Culture System – high stocking density and intensive feeding is required in this type of culture system. Some form of water movement and aeration is necessary to maintain the desired level of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the pond. Water quality monitoring is very important in this system to avoid water pollution that may affect the fish. In fishpond, the stocking density is more than 50,000 pieces/hectare or more than 5 pcs/sq.m.
Fishpond Management
a. Pond Preparation – the following steps are necessary specially for old ponds:
1. Total draining of fishpond – to eliminate old stocks, predators and unwanted species such as catfish, mudfish, biya, ayungin.
2. Pond Poisoning – it is recommended to poison the pond to ensure that all predators and unwanted species are eliminated. If ponds cannot be drained fully, poison is applied by spraying/broadcasting it all over the pond bottom with at least 3-5 cm of water. Recommended poisons are tobacco dust, rotenon (tubli) at 25kg/hectare or a combination of lime and 21-0-0 (5:1), at rate of 3g/liter. Use of chemical pesticides is not advised as it will have residual effect on the pond and will destroy soil quality.
3. Pond Washing – is done to eliminate the effect of poison be letting filtered water come in and out of the pond.
4. Leveling/Harrowing of Pond Bottom – the bottom of the pond is leveled to remove excess mud and dirt. It also facilitates harvesting especially during seining.
5. Sun drying of Pond Bottom – for old ponds, it is recommended to expose the pond bottom to sunlight and allow the soil to crack. Toxic gases evaporate and eliminates faster in a sun dried pond bottom.
6. Application of Lime – if the pond becomes acidic, application of lime is recommended. The recommended rate is 100g/sq.m. or 1,000kg/ha. Soil samples can be submitted to the BSWM for analysis.
7. Screening of Water Inlet and Outlet – before filling – in of water, fine mesh screen is installed in the water inlet to avoid entrance of unwanted species and at the water outlet to prevent escape of fish after stocking.
8. Filling-in of Water – pond is ready to be filled-up with water to the favorable depth of 1-2 meters after screen is installed in the water inlets and outlets.
9. Basal Fertilization – growth of natural food (plankton) in the pond is produced throudh basal fertilization. Organic fertilizer (chicken manure) is applied through broadcast method all over the pond at a rate of 1,000-2,000 kg/ha. In combination to chicken manure, inorganic fertilizer, 16-20-0 (ammonium phosphate) is also applied at the rate of 100-200 kg/ha by hanging or platform method. This recommended rate may be increased or reduced depending on the amount of natural food is already present in the pond. Basal fertilization should be done one week before stocking. Presence of natural food can be determined through change in color of water into green or yellow green. Over-fertilization should be avoided as it will cause plankton bloom which could result to oxygen depletion. Ammonium phosphate will do if chicken manure is not available.
b. Transport of Fingerlings – 20 x 30 inches x 0.003 gauge plastic bag is the most common container for fingerlings transport today. Below is the recommended quality of fingerlings per bag:
Size = Quantity
• Fry (0.01g ABW) = 2,000-3,000 pcs/bag
• Size 24 = 2,000 pcs/bag
• Size 22 = 1,000 pcs/bag
• Size 17 = 500 pcs/bag
• Size 14 = 300 pcs/bag
Reduce quantity for trips more than 6 hours. It is also advised to place cracked ice on top of plastic container if temperature exceeds 30°C. Buy or acquire fingerlings from reputable sources.