Mariculture as an alternative source of livelihood for sustenance fishermen in Lingayen Gulf

Abstract

In general, mariculture is a relatively new activity in the Philippines, especially in Lingayen Gulf. Although mollusk culture has been practised for many years in several areas of the country, other mariculture practices such as finfish cage and seaweeds culture are relatively recent developments. This paper gives an overview of existing mariculture practices in the Philippines and presents an exploratory discussion on the potential of mariculture in Lingayen Gulf as an alterna- tive source of livelihood for the sustenance fishermen. Potential mariculture activities include cage culture of finfish and mollusk and seaweeds farming. Constraints and management issues affecting mariculture development such as site selection, pollution, capital investment and technology transfer are briefly discussed.