FISH BRED IN BACKYARDS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27397, 9 July 1954, Page 8

FISH BRED IN BACKYARDS

FILIPINOS’ FRESH SUPPLIES "The Press” Special Service WELLINGTON, July 8. Backyard fish raising has become a craze in the Philippine Islands, according to Mr Mathias A, Antolin, a Filipino customs officer from Manila, who has come ter study New Zealand’s customs procedure under a United Nations fellowship. As described by Mr Antolin, backyard fish-breeding has not only captured the imagination of the Filipinos, but provides them with an important item of food. They build a four-foot deep concrete-lined pool in the backyard, put in a few Tilapia fish, which attain their full weight of about threequarters of a pound in two to four months The result is a constant supply of fresh fish for the family, for the Tilapia is a prolific breeder. “All you do is to take a fish out of the pool, cook it a la Sinegang (broiled with spices and vegetables), and there you have your meal. Delicious,” said Mr Antolin. The Tilapia, or “wonder fish” as the Filipinos call It, was introduced by Dr. D. Villadolia, Director of Fisheries in the Philippines, who brought 10 Tilapia from Indonesia in 1950. Now millions of the fish are swimming about in pools at thousands of homes in the Philippines, providing a constant supply of food. They eat almost anything, including ground copra, ground corn, and rice bran.