There are not enough catfish in the “Catfish Country” of Zarraga, Iloilo, but recent findings in one farm may just be the catalyst that could catapult the fish into abundance. Zarraga Pantat Fingerlings was one of the many farms struggling to keep pace with buyers’ demands while itself suffering from many catfish eggs that fail to hatch and catfish fry that dies before they can be sold to other farmers that grow them in ponds. Larry Pañoso, the hatchery operations in-charge, said they achieved a breakthrough in January when their production reached an all-time high of 500,000 fry per week after the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) helped resolve a problem with their water source.

Pagador, J. R. (2021, February 20 - 21). A hard problem with a soft solution; Catfish farm’s production surges after easy fix. Panay News, p. 13.