Freshwater mollusk farming in the Philippines: potential and prospects
2002
Guerrero, R.D. III (Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development, Los Banos, Laguna (Philippines) Guerrero, L.A.)
Freshwater mollusks contributed 85,464 metric tons or 57% of the total inland municipal fisheries production of the Philippines in 2000. The species made up of snails and clams are gathered from inland water bodies as lakes, rivers and irrigation systems. While no statistics are available to show the consumption volume of freshwater mollusks in the Filipino diet, it is believed that they contribute significantly to the animal protein food resource of inland rural communities in the country. Freshwater mollusks have been analyzed to have an edible portion of more than 50%, crude protein of 12.8%, fat content of 8% and carbohydrate content of 12.2%. The biology of the indigenous freshwater snails, Pila luzonica and Vivipara angularis, and the freshwater clam, Corbicula manillensis have been described in the literature. Notes on the pond culture of the freshwater clam in the Cagayan River, Daliella subcrassa and the introduced freshwater mussel, Cristaria plicata in Nueva Ecija and Laguna [Philippines], respectively, are available. The introduction and culture of the Brazilian freshwater snail, Pomacea canaliculata, has brought about a major aquatic pest problem in irrigated rice farms. Local attempts to commercially produce pearls with the freshwater mussel, C. plicata, were not successful. With the declining trend in the harvest of freshwater mollusks from inland waters, there is a need for more research and development work on the biology and culture of potentially important indigenous freshwater snails (e.g., Brotia and Thiara) and the introduced freshwater mussels, C. plicata and Pilsbryo choncha exilis, as sources of low-cost animal protein for the diet of the country's growing rural populations.
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