The Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) successfully produced pangasius through induced spawning, meaning the species can be mass-produced, reported the Philippine Information Agency.
The production of pagasius fingerlings through induced spawning started in 2010, said BFAR's Dominador Abalos, but the previous runs resulted in low survival due to bacterial attack and cannibalism. However, in two years, BFAR raised the survival rate from less than 1 percent to 20 percent.
Pangasius, known as Basa fish in the United States, can now be mass produced after the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region 2 successfully produced the specie thru induced spawning.
"He explained that injecting matured breeders with hormones, stripping and fertilization induced spawning for pangasius and hatching occurs in 24 to 32 hours depending on water temperature," the Information Agency said. "The production is veered towards organic production in response to current trend on organic products."
Pangasius is the sixth-most consumed seafood species in the United States, topping catfish, crab, cod and clams.