WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2025 35 Encircling an active volcano in the Philippines, Taal Lake contributes 883.91 metric tons of fish to the country annually (Guerrero 2022). Located in Batangas, Southern Luzon, the lake and its resident volcano are two of the country’s most iconic geological features, and a familiar view to the families that frequent the nearby holiday town. Occasionally, Manileños travel to the Tagaytay highlands to enjoy a pleasant meal in one of the many restaurants overlooking the crater lake (Figure 1). A constant feature of this landscape is the presence of hundreds of fish cages dotting the lake’s surface. The lake, the volcano, and the surrounding communities have been intertwined since the Philippines, as a country, even existed. It is a relationship with a storied history, complete with underwater towns, disappearing lake-dwelling bull sharks, and a drastic change in salinity. History of Taal Lake Taal, before the Philippines The beginnings of Lake Taal are interlaced with one of the Philippines’ most important pre-colonial rulers, Datu Puti, who is now better known as a condiment brand. When the Shri-Vishayan Empire of Borneo fell in 1377, the Bornean chief minister found himself with a choice between bowing down to a tyrannical new ruler or openly revolting, which would lead to his and his people’s death. In the end, his best course of action was to leave (Regalado 1966). Datu Puti led an expedition transporting entire communities in balangays — ancient boats crucial to early Austronesian settlement in the Philippines. These boats later lent their name to the country’s smallest administrative divisions, the barangays (Regalado 1966). Passing through the coast of Palawan, Datu Puti finally landed in Panay. The Datu shortly established the Madia-as Confederation, ruled by Datu Sumakwel in Hantik (now Antique), Datu Bunkaya in Aklan, and Datu Paiburong in Irongirong (Iloilo) (Morales and Dimaandal 2011). As Madia-as thrived and became too crowded, Datu Puti left the confederation in the hands of Hantik’s ruler, and sailed his balangays north. Passing by Balayan Bay and the Verde Island Passage, the boats went up the Pansipit River, finding themselves in a large lake with an active volcano at its core. Taal Lake and its surroundings could be regarded as a paradise for the Bornean settlers (Hill 1937). The original town of Taal derived its name from the ta-alan trees that covered the densely forested surrounding mountains. These mountains provided animals to hunt and vegetables to forage, while the lake provided an abundance of fish — notably composed of both freshwater and marine species (Hill 1937). Archaeological evidence — including fish hooks, nets with stone weights, and basic boat building materials — shows how this early Taal community could have captured these fish (Wu and Rolett 2019). Although detailed accounts of precolonial aquaculture in Taal are not available, records from other precolonial Philippine societies showed they already had early forms of aquaculture (Herre and Mendoza 1929). Bangus or milkfish (Chanos chanos) was the first fish to be farmed in the Philippines, with the technique allegedly being passed on from Java in the 15th century (Herre and Mendoza 1929). These early bangus cultures were dikes constructed upon the entrance to a bay, with a gate allowing the entry of water and fish and preventing the fishes’ exit (Carbine 1948), and were apparently still used in Mactan, Cebu until 1921 (Herre and Mendoza 1929). From there, Datu Puti is said to have founded the Kingdom of the Tagalogs, with its center in present-day Balayan. This kingdom was apparently so successful that it had its own “highways”, roads made out of stone that reached up to 40 kilometers in length Taal Lake’s Legacy: From Sunken Towns to Sustainable Aquaculture Randy Begtang, Lorenzo Raphael M. Deza and Janice A. Ragaza (CONTINUED ON PAGE 36) FIGURE 1. Those who visit the holiday town of Tagaytay often enjoy a nice weekend meal overlooking the volcano and its lake. Always accompanying the view are the aquaculture cages that line the water’s surface. Photo credit: R. Begtang. A constant feature of this landscape is the presence of hundreds of fish cages dotting the lake’s surface. The lake, the volcano, and the surrounding communities have been intertwined since the Philippines, as a country, even existed. It is a relationship with a storied history, complete with underwater towns, disappearing lake-dwelling bull sharks, and a drastic change in salinity.
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