The highly-prized seabass, locally known as apahap, has been classified by the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD) as a commodity wherein the country enjoys a comparative advantage, or a "leading edge," over the nations. Abundance and wide distribution of apahap in tropical and sub-tropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific Region (where the Philippines is located) has made the culture of the species commercially feasible and economically promising, PCAMRD said.

Tacio, H. D. (1994, August 23). What black tiger prawn was in the '80s, seabass is for the '90s. Today, p. 15.