Fish, seaweed and shellfish farming are traditional practices in the Philippines. Farming bangus, oyster and tahong cultures are probably the older practices as compared to tilapia farming which was introduced only in the 1950s, and prawn and seaweed farming in the late-1970s. Farming other fish and shellfish started only recently. Fish farming or aquaculture needs to grow in order to feed a rapidly growing population. And the continuing decrease in fish catches from both fresh and saltwater sources makes this need all the more urgent. This concern is felt not only in the Philippines but in the whole world. In the US alone, aquaculture production has grown 5-10% annually in the past decade. From 1984-1998 , global aquaculture production more than doubled. The UN said world aquaculture production must increase seven times in the next 25 to 30 years just to maintain current levels of consumption.
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