Baseline study on the freshwater ornamental fish industry in Palawan, Philippines.

The status of both freshwater and marine ornamental fish industries in the Philippines has been assessed in 2019; however, Palawan was excluded due to the unavailability of data with regard to the ornamental fish trade. Hence, this study collected baseline data on the freshwater ornamental fish industry specifically the distribution of freshwater ornamental fish hobbyists, socio-demographic profile of the respondents, the key players involved in the market chain, classification and number of fish species and strains involved, and the challenges (economic and scientific) and opportunities encountered by the key players which could be used for the improvement and development of the ornamental fish sector in Palawan. A poll was conducted in order to obtain information on the general location of the ornamental fish hobbyists in Palawan in which 77 individuals participated. An online survey form was then sent to participants, however, only 40 responded. The freshwater ornamental fish hobbyists were distributed in 11 localities of Palawan. Key players involved in the market chain of freshwater ornamental fish were categorized as producers, traders, and sellers. Twelve freshwater ornamental fish species with 83 strains/varieties were involved, dominated by the Siamese fighting fish and guppy. Economic and research problems were some of the problems cited by the key players.

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