WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2025 37 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 38) River not only caused the lake to rise, but isolated marine populations in a gradually desalinating environment. The Taal Basilica, thrice rebuilt, stands as a reminder of these colonial eruptions (Figure 2). Today, Taal is home to the only freshwater sardine in the world (Sardinella tawilis), one of only two freshwater sea snakes that exist (Hydrophis semperi) (De Leon et al. 2023), and even supported populations of bull sharks (until they were overfished in 1930) (Hargrove 1986). While it remains unclear, however, which fish populations were wiped out by the eruption of 1754, desalination has definitely created a much more tolerable environment for freshwater fish that now dominate the lake’s aquaculture. Chronicling Taal Lake Aquaculture The world reaches the crater Although bangus may have been farmed since the precolonial era, it remained the only fish farmed in the country for hundreds of years. For the longest time, bangus was only accompanied by the jumbo tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon, which was caught and farmed in the same cages as bycatch (Yap 1999). Introduction of new, exotic species began in 1905 with the introduction of mosquito fish from Hawaii, but it was only in 1915 that the common carp, Cyprinus carpio was introduced with the intent of aquaculture production. Ten years later, in 1925, 16,000 carp fingerlings from China were already present in the Bureau of Science (Yap 1999). Since then, introductions of other freshwater species came one after another, with the giant gourami in 1927, the Mozambique tilapia in 1950, and three different species of carps from 1967 to 1968. However, while the Mozambique tilapia was a “backyard pond craze,” the Nile tilapia’s (Oreochromis niloticus) introduction in 1972 was a craze beyond the backyard scale (Yap 1999). It was only through the Nile tilapia that freshwater aquaculture in the Philippines grew from small seasonal operations to a commercial compulsion. With an influx of new research aiming to continually improve tilapia culture came the first pilot project for aquaculture in Taal Lake in 1975 (Papa and Mamaril 2011). By 1976, there were already 7000 hectares of milkfish pens in the nearby Laguna de Bay, which could not be replicated by fish farmers in Taal (Asian Development Bank 2004). The introduction of Nile tilapia provided hope for the lake to catch up, and stimulated its rapid development in aquaculture. This spurred on further research assessing the lake’s suitability for aquaculture in 1983, with studies by BFAR and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) finally establishing Taal as a viable site for large-scale, commercial aquaculture by the 1990s (Papa and Mamaril 2011). Notably, the Freshwater Fisheries Research and Development Center (FFDRC) was acquired by BFAR in 1986 to spur on research studies and training for local fish farmers, technicians, and students (NFRDI n.d.). Too much, too fast — unintended consequences of an aquaculture boom By the mid 1990’s, Taal Lake produced 13,197 tons of Nile tilapia, and 21,189 in 2000, becoming the biggest source of cagefarmed tilapia by the early 2000’s (Asian Development Bank 2004). However, this came with a massive change in the environment, with the overcrowding of unregulated fish cages leading to fish kills, a decrease in fish growth, and an overall decline in water quality (Asian Development Bank 2004). Attempts were made by the government to quickly curb this decline via the Tagaytay-Taal Integrated Master Plan of the Presidential Commission in the mid-90’s (Papa and Mamaril 2011). The plan created a fish sanctuary west of the central volcano island, although fish cage production curiously still found a way to increase within the western area despite this (Figure 3) (Papa and Mamaril 2011). More than that, Taal Lake was and remains a way of life for the communities surrounding it (Figures 4 and 5). The nine municipalities and two cities that surround it use the lake not only as a venue for aquaculture, but also for open water fishing, travel, tourism, and water sourcing (Vista 2003). By 2003, aquaculture and the general use of Taal Lake led to various fish kills caused by excessive nitrogen and phosphorus loading (Vista 2003). The trend continued towards the mid-2000’s, with a study recommending the regulation of aquaculture intensity and directly linking the lake’s eutrophication to fish cages (Vista et al. 2006). Towards the late 2000’s a zebrafish larval assay found deteriorated sediment conditions (Hallare et al. 2009). FIGURE 4. Freshly harvested tilapia are often caught and immediately processed to produce daing, salted and sun-dried fish often eaten for breakfast. Photo credit: L. Deza. FIGURE 5. After gutting and splitting the tilapia open, the fish are laid fleshside-down onto racks to be dried in the sun. Photo credit: L. Deza.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjExNDY=