Malaysian school engages in bullfrog and turtle farming

By NJ Dagoon
“Sepang Today Aquaculture Centre is a water at a 10 cm depth. Live food such
private aquafarming training school in as fish, tadpoles, crickets, and earth-
Malaysia,” says owner and president Mr. worms are given.
Khoo Eng Wah. Breeding pens with 10-cm deep
The school offers courses on the cul- flowing water and modified bottom (to
ture of two exotic animal species: the enable about 25% to be kept dry when
American bullfrog and the soft-shelled in operation) are used to spawn
turtle. broodstock at a ratio of 1 male to 2 fe-
What follows is a brief description males. These makeshift ponds are typi-
of the culture method for each, taken cally shaded by water hyacinth
from the school’s training brochures. (Eichhornia crassipes).
With no feeding at all, spawning
American bullfrog occurs after 3-4 days in the early morn-
ing hours. A female can lay about
The American bullfrog is the second larg- 10,000 eggs in a jelly-like mass or more
est and heaviest of frogs. It may reach a 8-10 times a year.
Eggs are transferred to 2 x 1 m
hatching tanks. The 10 cm water depth
and shade are maintained. Each hatch-
ing pool is provided with a continuous
fine spray of water for aeration and cur-
rent flow. The water temperature range
o
is maintained at 27-29 C. Larvae hatch
within 36-48 hours. Within 24 hours,
feeding is begun, and tadpoles are trans-
Brooder frog size is about 300-350 g. In the ferred to nursery ponds.
male adult bullfrog, the diameter of the A 1-m water depth is maintained
eardrum membrane is bigger than that of the in earthen tadpole ponds (size, 4 x 4
m). As in hatching tanks, a continuous
fine spray of water and shading is pro-
length of 30 cm and weight of 1.5 kg. Originating from North vided. Aeration is needed when dissolved oxygen is low.
America, it is known by its peculiar booming call, which can be 2
Hatchlings are stocked at a rate of 300-400 tadpoles per m . Food
heard half a mile away. Among edible frog species, it is the domi- such as spinach, cereals, brine shrimp, fish meal, liver, wheat
nant one for human consumption. bran-minced fish mixture should be available at all times. Dur-
Commercial culture of the American bullfrog Rana ing the first 3 weeks and before late metamorphosis (appearance
catesbeiana in Malaysia is thought to have begun in the early of front legs), daily food consumption is about 20% and 7% body
1980s. With the use of Taiwanese techniques on feeding, stock- weight, respectively. Young frogs are collected as they emerge to
ing and disease prevention, bullfrog farming has become a prof- seek cover.
itable industry.
Grow-out
2
Seed production Size range of grow out ponds is 10-100 m . The pond is partly
Sex differentiation among adult bullfrogs is easy. Small size, shaded; at least half is exposed. Regular running water is main-
brown skin with black stripes and a black or white throat distin- tained at a 2-10 cm depth, depending on frog size. A fine mesh
guish females. Large size, light green skin and yellow-colored (1-3 mm) fence with minimum height of 1.5 m encloses the pond.
2
throat characterize males. Ponds are stocked at a rate of 50 frogs/m after metamorphosis.
Mature adults are separately raised by sex at a density of 3- Water that is clean, recirculated, tepid, and oxygenated is
2
4 frogs per m in 4 x 10 m pens filled with constantly flowing vital. Strict hygiene and sanitary control is maintained during all

16 SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture Vol. XXII No. 3 May-June 2000

 Trainees at the school’s bullfrog
farming pond

China, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Ma-

laysia.
Though Mr. Khoo himself
serves as the main lecturer at his
PHOTO COURTESY OF KHOO ENG WAH

school, he has invited a lot of part-

time lecturers from Malaysian uni-
versities and other private aquafarm
operators to give lectures and share
their experiences with the course par-
ticipants.
The school’s farming pond fa-
2
cilities include ten units of 2,000 m
pond for tiger prawn/banana prawn,
2
one unit 2,000 m pond for seabass,
2
one unit 1,000 m pond for sea red
2
About the School tilapia, one 100 m tank for mud crab,
2
and one 50m tank for swimming
Sepang Today Aquaculture Centre started in 1996. The crab. There are also hatcheries for breeding of seabass, and
school is located about 30 km from the Kuala Lumpur In- tiger prawn/banana prawn/freshwater prawn (each can pro-
ternational Airport. It is owned and managed by Mr. Khoo duce about 1.5 million fry per run). The school has a well
Eng Wah who has a biology degree from Nanyang Univer- equipped laboratory for the performance of different tests.
sity of Singapore and a postgraduate diploma in fisheries Course offerings for year 2000, Mr. Khoo reveals, are
from the University of Singapore. He once attended the 1st Tiger prawn/Penaeus indicus hatchery and grow-out farming
International Conference on the Culture of Penaeid Prawns (30 days), Freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)
and Shrimps in Iloilo, Philippines in 1983. Mr. Khoo’s work hatchery and grow-out (30 days) and Seabass (Lates calcarifer)
experience includes having been a biology and agriculture hatchery and grow-out (30 days). Each course is US$1,950
teacher for a private high school and manager of various inclusive of food (3 meals per day, refreshments), lecture notes,
fish farming projects (freshwater prawn, fishes, ducks, etc.). practical work in hatchery and grow-out, tutorials, farm vis-
Since 1996-97, he has been operating a tiger prawn hatch- its, etc.
ery and grow-out farm, operating a school for training Home study is also available for different species of
aquafarmers and investors and investing in turtle and bull- aquatic products at US$200 per course.
frog farming. The school also offers 10-day intensive grow-out farm-
For the past 3-4 years of its existence, the school has ing courses on tiger prawn/Penaeus indicus, seabass, fresh-
trained hundreds of aquaculture farmers and investors from water prawn at US$1,000 per course inclusive of food and
different parts of the world. Some of these, he mentioned lodging, tuition, materials, farm visits, practical work, etc. The
come from Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Brunei, Colombia, school can be contacted at the website: www. Todayaqua.com.
-- NJD

stages of culture. Care must be taken to prevent contamination Marketing and processing
by pathogenic organisms. Culture tanks should be washed daily. Mr. Khoo explains the cost of bullfrog production. Frog farm
To reduce cannibalism (which may occur at the rate of 10- construction is very cheap, he notes, requiring a capital of about
30% during the first 60 days), frogs are graded by size. Frogs are RM 100,000 (note US$1 = RM 3.8). With that investment, a farm
fed about 3-5% of their body weight per day. Bullfrogs have a can produce about 15 tons a year. Ex-farm price per ton is RM??.
good feed conversion ratio (1:1). In about 4 months, a bullfrog Annual sale realized is RM 150,000. Profit is RM 45,000 (maxi-
can reach the slaughter weight of 250-300 g. The animals are mum range, RM 100,000-150,000).
hand-collected, placed in sacks, and transported to the process- In Malaysia, cost of bullfrog production is RM 6-8 per kg.
ing area.
☞ next page

SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture Vol. XXII No. 3 May-June 2000 17

“Ex-farm price for live frog is RM 9-13. It is a profitable ven-

PHOTO COURTESY OF KHOO ENG WAH

ture,” says Mr. Khoo.
Currently, the domestic market absorbs most of Malaysia’s
annual frog meat production. Domestic prices are higher than
those offered by exporters. While exporters want just legs, local
restaurants buy the whole carcass.
Bullfrog meat has fine texture and pleasant taste. Low in fat
(0.5%), it is rich in protein and provides a good balance of amino
acids. These characteristics appeal to health-conscious consum-
ers.
Dressed bullfrog (beheaded, skinned, gutted, and digital ex-
tremities cut off) weighs 70% of its live weight. Legs account for
60% of dressed carcass weight.
Processing of frogs is similar to that of poultry. The final
product is packed in polythene bags, individually quick-frozen
o
and stored in a cold room at –23 C.
Various useful by-products can be obtained from frog
processing. Tanned frog skin yields leather. Fat reserves in the
frog’s abdominal cavity are processed into cosmetic oil. Dried
and ground offal from frog processing may be used in the manu-
facture of frog feed.
Breeding pond for turtles, note egg laying site on foreground
Future potential
Bullfrog meat has a great potential in the local and international While maintaining their grow-out ponds, two Malaysian com-
market, since it is a popular traditional gourmet food among Asian mercial hatcheries produce soft-shelled turtle seed for the indus-
and European communities. try. Broodstock are kept in ponds with vertical concrete embank-
Frog culture also helps frog conservation as it minimizes ments and sandy bottoms. These prevent turtles from escaping,
uncontrolled collection of frogs from the wild. Frogs bred in cap- and provide substrates that reduce chances of cannibalism and
tivity can be used to replenish depleted populations. enhance growth of hatchlings. Floating wooden planks, besides
being basking areas for turtles, also prevent algal or fungal growth.
Size of turtles determines water level and substrate depth.
Soft-shelled turtle Spawners are selected from fast-growing and good quality
2- to 3-year-old adults. They are stocked at a sex-ratio of 1:3-4
People in China and Japan traditionally favor the soft-shelled turtle (male: female). In tropical countries, eggs are laid all-year-round
(Trionyx sinensis Weigmann) as a highly esteemed delicacy with with a short inter-nesting period. Spawning normally takes place
nutritional and medicinal values. at night. Female selects a nesting site; digs a 15-20 cm diameter
There are only two well-established hatcheries and a few hole with a depth of 8-12 cm; and then lays eggs in it before
small scale grow-out farms operating in Peninsular Malaysia. covering it up. Number of eggs per clutch is about 10-15, de-
These farms are located at Rawang, Mantin, Gementar, Pagoh pending on spawner size.
and Kota Tinggi. Spawning and grower pond area varies at 200-1000 m2. Each
spawning pond has an egg-laying site, a 1.5-2.5 m2 rectangular
Seed production platform that contains 15-25 cm deep sand. Each site has wooden
Soft-shelled turtle males and females take one year to reach ma- walkways extending into the water. The roof is made of galva-
turity. One male or female adult is about 1 kg. One female can nized iron sheets raised 1-1.2 m above floor level.
lay 10-20 eggs per batch and about 60-80 eggs per year. The eggs Egg-laying sites are checked every morning for signs of nest-
hatch out into baby turtles and each seedling weighs about 5 g. ing. If there are signs, the eggs are dug out. When transferring to
Farmers buy the seedling at this stage at about US$1 per piece. plastic containers, eggs must be handled with care. Eggs are kept
According to Mr. Khoo, the price per seedling has fallen to in wooden boxes for 1-2 days before fertilized eggs (those with
about US$0.1 since 1999, because China is currently imposing a small “white caps”) are selected.
ban on the import of seedlings from ASEAN countries. The mar- Fertilized eggs are then transferred to sand beds in the hatch-
ket price fell from US$10 per kg to US$4 per kg. Before the ban ery for incubation. Eggs are arranged in rows with the “white
of imports to China, there were about 200 farmers in Malaysia, cap” facing upward, spaced at a distance of 1-2 cm apart, and
with most growing 50,000-500,000 seedlings. buried under a 5 cm layer of sand.

18 SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture Vol. XXII No. 3 May-June 2000

PHOTOS COURTESY OF KHOO ENG WAH

Turtle eggs Just hatched baby turtles

Fencing the incubation site guard against predators and pests

such as ants, rats and snakes. This site must be sheltered from
direct sunlight and rain. Turtle adults
Humidity of sand beds must be closely monitored, as sand readied for
beds that are too wet or dry damage fertilized eggs. Under nor- the market
mal conditions (25-30oC), hatching takes place in 45-60 days. A
small basin of water is placed at the corner of the incubation bed.
Newly hatched turtles will come out from the sand and crawl to Grow-out
the basin. Grow-out ponds, vertical concrete embankments with sandy bot-
Newly hatched turtles are removed daily from the basin in toms, vary from 200 to 1000 m2. Depth of water range is 50-70
the incubation site and transferred to the nursery tank. One hatch- cm with freeboard allowance of 30 cm to prevent turtles from
ery setup uses concrete tanks with fine sand substrate and good escaping.
water quality; the other nurses hatchlings in covered netcages Pond preparation is an important aspect of management.
suspended in a small river or pond. Depth of water is adjusted Before stocking, ponds are prepared by drying the bottom. Lime
according to the level desired. is added to disinfect and improve the soil condition. Algae and
Hatchlings are fed with high quality food such as commer- aquatic weeds are removed because they may prevent turtles from
cial feed, bloodworm, fresh trash fish or poor grade chicks. Growth coming up to breathe. Pond bottoms are cleaned to prevent anaero-
rate of hatchlings is dependent on quality of feed, stocking den- biosis.
sity and water quality. To reduce cannibalism and improve the Water quality is determined by observing color of water as
growth rate of smaller hatchlings, segregation must be carried well as activity and behavior of turtles. Phytoplankton blooms
out when size differences become apparent. Hatchlings are nursed are controlled at about 15-30 cm secchi disk visibility. Water
up to about 10-12 cm in carapace length before being transferred quality is maintained by water exchange. Water parameters to be
into grow-out ponds. ☞ page 29

From left to right: turtle with head ulcer disease, shell ulcer disease, deformed shell; and a baby turtle covered by the protozoa Zoothamnium
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KHOO ENG WAH

SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture Vol. XXII No. 3 May-June 2000 19

Malaysian school . . . from page 19 Sargeant fish and eel . . . from page 25

observed are a pH of 6.5-8, alkalinity of 30-40 ppm, salinity of 5 and Taiwan (over 20,000 tons) and 2,500 tons from elsewhere.
ppt (more than that level, mortality will occur), and iron content According to Mr. Torres, the biggest challenge to Euro-
of not more than 0.2 ppm. Dissolved oxygen should not be less pean growers is the high price of growing glass eel. There is huge
than 3 ppm. demand for European elvers from China. He said the bigger prob-
2
Turtles are stocked at a density of 8-12 per m . Being a car- lem is sustainability -- there may be no glass eels left in four or
nivorous species, Trionyx sinensis requires high protein (45-55%) five years. EU should either stop or regulate this trade. Fish Farm-
and low fat diet. They are fed with trash fish, poor grade chicks, ing International estimated that 65-75% of Europe’s glass eels
and intestines of poultry. Feeding is done once or twice daily, in are being exported to the Far East.
the morning and/or afternoon at about 2% body weight. The European Eel Fisheries Conservation Group
To reach the size that can be sold in the Chinese market (400- (EEFCGO) has already issued a strong warning last year that too
600 g), farming period is about 6-8 months. Sex segregation is many eels from European waters are being exported across the
generally undertaken when the turtles mature, as females become world. Most die before they reach maturity and their steady de-
subject to male biting attacks. pletion threatens eel fishing in Europe, as well as the further de-
Marketable sized turtles may be harvested partially or com- velopment of eel cultivation (Fish Farming International, Feb-
pletely. Partial harvest is done by lowering the water level and ruary 1999). There are also reports that the International Council
capturing the animals by hand. Complete harvest involves drain- for Exploration of the Seas (ICES) has concluded that adult spawn-
ing the water. Turtles of insufficient size are transferred to grow- ing stock of European eel (A. anguilla) is now outside safe bio-
out ponds for further culture. The marketable turtles are placed logical limits. Between 1996 and 1997, France exported 150
in tanks with running water to clean them before delivery to cus- tons; Spain, 70 tons; and UK, 30 tons at prices reaching up to
tomers. Fast-growing turtles may be chosen as broodstock. US$327 per kg of elvers.
Markets Aquaculture potential
To prevent fighting, turtles bound for market are segregated indi- The factors that favor eel culture include the following (Usui
vidually in small nets or black perforated plastic bags. Adult tur- 1991):
tles are normally sold live to export and local markets. Poor grade
hatchlings can be also sold to aquarium shops as pets. Unfertilized • Biological: high survival rates in culture, high tolerance to wa-
eggs can be processed into medicinal food. ter quality variables (salinity, oxygen, nitrogenous waste),
Outside Malaysia, the major market for turtles are China, highly adaptable to a variety of diets (natural and artificial),
Japan, Taiwan, Hongkong and Singapore. Local demand for cul- high satisfactory growth rates (commercial size of 150-250 g
tured turtles has increased recently due to lack of supply from the can be reached in 12-24 months at optimum temperatures of
wild. 22-24oC).
Future potential
The potential of rearing soft-shelled turtles in tropical environ- • Technology: highly established rearing methods
ments seems bright. Higher ambient temperatures for
poikilotherms like reptiles and fish stimulate rapid and consist- • Economics: high value as food, high sale price, high commer-
ent growth patterns. cial demand which exceeds supply (deficit in Europe is esti-
Taste for the soft-shelled turtle has to be acquired. Currently, mated at 13,5000 tons a year), elvers and young eels are avail-
only those with exotic, epicurean taste appreciate it. (Muslims able in the wild (estuaries and lagoons), and there are some
do not eat it.) There is a need, therefore, to develop the delicacy’s opportunities to combine fishing and rearing
mass appeal, as well as explore and prove its medicinal value.
Gory displays of public slaughter should be stopped to avoid cast- • Scientific: there is active research and extensive literature
ing a negative light on the development of turtle-derived prod- (Brusle 1990). The principles of eel culture are the same as
ucts. for all fish culture
Conclusion Eel culture in the Philippines
Cultural prejudices against exotic aquaculture species must be Eel culture is still in its fledgling stage. Known as igat, casili or
overcome to ensure the continuous development of their indus- palos, it started in the early ‘70s when the estuarine delta of the
tries and markets. Cagayan river in northern Luzon has been discovered to yield
commercial quantity of elvers. The elver season in the Philip-
This article is based on extension materials from the Sepang Today
Aquaculture Centre and from responses to a questionnaire emailed by pines occurs most of the year but it peaks in March and August.
Mr. Khoo Eng Wah to NJ Dagoon ☞ page 30

SEAFDEC Asian Aquaculture Vol. XXII No. 3 May-June 2000 29