SUPPLY ANALYSIS OF AYUNGIN

NTRODUCTION

(Ayungin)

Ayungin (Scientific name: Leiopotherapon plumbeus), a freshwater fish species

endemic in the Philippines, is omnivorous and has a silver color and small scales. It

used to be plentiful in Laguna Lake and other freshwater bodies but overfishing by local

fishermen coupled with the slow demise of the once pristine lake have now made it

scarce. It is said to be the tastiest freshwater fish in the Philippines (the most expensive

fish is the ludong, caught in the shores off Cagayan) is endemic to Laguna de Bay and

was introduced to San Pablo City's Sampaloc Lake in the 1950s, then later to Taal Lake

in the 70s.

Today, seeing ayungin in the public market of Paete is a rare sight, Tutubi buys

them as they're unloaded fresh by fishermen on the shores of Laguna de Bay, a place

locals call Wawa, at the point where Paete River (creek) meets Laguna Lake.

In Rizal province, particularly in the town of Binangonan, silver perch is caught

commercially then made into dried fish (daing na ayungin) whose taste can rival the

famous danggit of Cebu. It costs about P200/kilo in Rizal and Laguna and can go as

high as P500 per kilo in Manila.

A research project at the University of the Philippines Los Baños is underway to

save from threat this freshwater fish. Dr. Pablo P. Ocampo of the UPLB Limnological

Research Station has established a captive breeding program to save the ayungin.
Dr. Ocampo reported that ayungin collected by the project from Laguna de Bay has

been successfully maintained in the station’s concrete tanks. The collected ayungin

broodstock was found responding well to a specially formulated diet combination of

commercial prawn feeds and Tubifex worms.

The project is now studying ways on how to induce the ayungin to naturally

spawn in an artificial environment. While simulated rain, flowing water, vegetation, sand

and soil have been incorporated into the artificial environment, the research station’s

findings suggest that ayungin from the wild may find it to naturally reproduce in captivity.

Nonetheless, Dr. Ocampo reported that the rearing techniques used are being refined.

Experiments are underway to determine whether live feeds may help the ayungin to

breed inside the tanks.

Hopefully, the captive breeding techniques being researched on may come to

fruition. With success, the project can provide more Filipinos the chance to taste and

savor once again the traditional delectable dishes prepared from ayungin.

(Binangonan Rizal)

Brief Origin

A number of theories has been advanced on the origin of Binangonan yet none

could exactly point to the real beginning of this town. Some observations can be noted

thus:

a. Binangonan is a pure Tagalog word for the place where something or someone

has voluntarily risen.

have pure Tagalog names indicating that these places could have existed even

before the Spanish rule.

c. A village in Infanta, Laguna was called Binangonan de Lampon which led some

historians to theorize that settlers of the lake region could have originated from

this place.

d. )The history of Taytay includes a place called Batasin whose inhabitants were

believed to be the ancestors of the few remaining tribes of Negritoes. There is no

Batasin in Taytay at present but there is one in Binangonan.

Aetas inhabited Binangonan until 1928. Evidence of their culture are found in

Lungga Ita in Pila-Pila and in Aeta words like Wawa and Ithan.

Historical Background

According to the records of Huerta Cavada, Binangonan, originally a visita of

Morong, was separated and became independent parish in 1621. Another version

stated, however, that Binangonan was separated from Morong in 1737. Binangonan

was first under the ecclesiastical administration of the Franciscans. A treaty between

the Franciscans and the Jesuits in 1679 assigned Binangonan to the latter in exchange

of the former dominion over Baras. After 18 years, the Jesuits transferred their power

over Binangonan to the Calced Augustinians in 1697. Forty years later, the Calced

Augustinians restored it back to the Franciscans in 1731. In 1766, the Superior

Gobierno licensed Angono as an independent parish separating it from

Binangonan. Angono’s ecclesiastical activities were placed under the care of the

secular clergy. In 1835, Binangonan was separated from the province of Laguna
and incorporated in the newly created Districts de los Mateo, later on renamed Distrito

Politico Militar de Morong.

On August 6, 1898, the natives of Binangonan joined the revolutionary

government of General Emilio Aguinaldo against the Spanish rule. Under the American

regime, Binangonan became an independent municipality under General Order No. 40

of March 29, 1900. On June 11, 1901, Act No. 137 of the Philippine Commission

incorporated this town with the newly created province of Rizal. Binangonan temporarily

lost independence when it was combined with Morong, Baras and Cardona by virtue of

Act. No. 942 in 1903. Act. No. 948 of November 6, 1903 restored independence to

Binangonan and made Angono a part of Binangonan again. On January 1, 1939,

Angono was made an independent town and part of the province of Rizal.

Supply Relation

Binangonan is a major supplier of freshwater fishes from Laguna de Bay like

dulong, ayungin, biya, kanduli, and gurami to Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite and

Batangas.

Binangonan’s major source of income comes from agriculture, where 49 percent

of its total land area are devoted to agriculture and livestock industries, while the source

of income of residents in its coastal barangays are mainly fishing and aquaculture

industry. Other sources of income come from manufacturing, commercial

establishments, real estate, and public utility services.

Binangonan is an urban municipality in the province of Rizal, Philippines.

coast line facing the Laguna de Bay. The plant of Rizal Cement and Grandspan are in

Binangonan as well.

A closer analysis of the

volume of production showed fluctuation across years (Figure 5). There were four

periods of positive growth (+4.62 % in 2003–2004, +1.30 % in 2006–2007, + 2.88 % in

2010–2011, and +5.47 % in 2012–2013) that were observed within the 18-year period.

However, the periods of decline were noted for the years 2005–2006, 2007–2008,

2008–2009, and 2016–2017 at -21.42 %, -23.20 %, -21.45 %, and -23.82 %,

respectively. Consequently, using this 18-year dataset, the average production rate of

ayungin is estimated at -6.96 % per year. Using this value to make future prediction, the

projected production is estimated at 575 t, 279 t, and 136 t in 2030, 2040, and 2050,

respectively (Figure 6).

It is alarming to note that indeed, ayungin has been reported to have the highest decline

rate among the freshwater fish species in the country (Guerrero III, 2021). The declining

production of ayungin has severely affected the livelihood of approximately more than

24,000 fishers (Israel, 2007) around Laguna de Bay, particularly the small-scale fishing

communities who depend on ayungin fishery as main source of food and income.

Fishers now earn lesser income as compared before (Gervacio, 2012). However,

despite the declining wild populations of ayungin in most regions of the country, the

demand for this fish remained high. The market price of this fish ranges from USD 6.2 to
as high as USD 16.5, which is about 2–5 times more expensive than the selling prices

of tilapia and milkfish (Tacio, 2013).

Aquaculture potential of ayungin

The popularity of ayungin as food fish and its importance in the lake’s

subsistence fishery have, therefore, led the Binangonan Freshwater Station of

SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department, in partnership with the University of the Philippines

Diliman, to develop hatchery rearing techniques for domesticating this Philippine native

fish species. In 2010, hormone-induced spawning of captive broodstock has been

developed (L. M. B. Garcia, personal communication, 2010) using human chorionic

gonadotropin (hCG) hormone. Spawning of ayungin was also induced through the

application of salmon gonadotropin releasing hormone (sGnRH) (Javier et al., 2015).

More recently, Aya and Garcia (2020) induced spawning in ayungin using the

combination of hCG and ovaprim®.

Larval rearing techniques for ayungin in outdoor tanks have been established in 2015

but still require further refinements. Larvae of ayungin feed on natural food organisms

such as copepod nauplii, rotifers, copepods, insect larvae, and ostracods during its

early feeding stages (Aya et al., 2015, 2019). A stocking density of 0.4 larvae per liter in

4 m3 outdoor tank is recommended (Aya & Garcia, 2016), with survival rates as high as

48 % (Aya et al., 2019).

Early-stage juveniles that weigh 0.17–0.18 g were harvested from outdoor

concrete tanks after 30–40 days, followed by another four weeks in indoor plastic tanks

before stocking in nursery cages (F.A. Aya, unpublished data) (Figure 7). In addition,

Aya et al., (2021) evaluated different feeding regimes and stocking densities for rearing
early- stage ayungin larvae under laboratory conditions. It was found that the larvae

survived very well with the 69–81 % survival rate, demonstrating that Artemia nauplii

were more suitable than the combined rotifers and formulated microdiet, and that larvae

should be stocked at densities of 5–15 larvae per liter.

Recently, the aquaculture extension manual on the biology and hatchery rearing

of ayungin (Aya & Garcia, 2020) has been published and is now available for download

at the SEAFDEC/ AQD Institutional Repository (https://repository.seafdec.org.

ph/handle/10862/5898). The manual contains the detailed information on the patented

hatchery rearing technology of ayungin.

SUPPLY ANALYSIS OF AYUNGIN (Binangonan, Rizal)

A number of researchers have applied multivariate methods to elucidate the

population structure of fishes. In this study, we also used multivariate techniques to

examine meristic and morphological variations in the silver perch, Leiopotherapon

plumbeus (Kner, 1864), from three Philippine lakes, namely, Laguna de Bay, Sampaloc

Lake, and Taal Lake. We also aimed to determine whether or not there are meristic and

morphological differences among the populations of silver perch from the three lakes,

considering that this fish species was introduced from Laguna de Bay into Sampaloc

Lake and Taal Lake in the late 1950s and early 1970s, respectively. A total of 710

specimens from four different sites were used in the study: 155 each from Binangonan

and Tanay areas of Laguna de Bay and 200 each from Sampaloc Lake and Taal Lake.

Based on analysis of variance, eight meristic and 26 transformed morphometric

characters were selected for subsequent analyses.

accounted for 82.3% of the variation in the original variables. Factor analysis using

varimax rotation produced four factors: factor 1 was dominated by fin measurements

while the highest loadings for factor 2 were gill raker counts. Factors 3 and 4 were

dominated by various body and head measurements. Cluster analysis showed

specimens from Sampaloc Lake and Taal Lake in one group, while majority of the

specimens from Binangonan and Tanay are in another cluster. This suggests a closer

morphological similarity between specimens from Sampaloc and Taal. Discriminant

analysis gave relatively high correct classification rates (76.13–95.50%). Lower gill raker

count was the most discriminating variable. Since both the silver perch from Sampaloc

Lake and Taal Lake were introduced from Laguna de Bay, the observed clustering and

morphological variation could be attributed to similarities and differences in the lake

environments. Laguna de Bay is a shallow eutrophic lake, while Sampaloc Lake and

Taal Lake are deep lakes. Further studies, however, are needed to determine which of

the myriad of biological and/or physico–chemical factors might have the greatest

influence on the observed morphological divergence between the source population and

transplanted populations that we found in our study.

CONCLUSION

The lake’s condition over the last four decades has been through a tragic

change. What was once clear and pristine waters, are now turbid and muddy. This

change was witnessed and greatly felt by fishermen that inhabit the foreshores and fish

the waters of Laguna Lake. In their eyes, this change was brought about the lack of a

very essential component, saltwater. This lack was caused by a government project
with one of its objectives was to hinder the entry of saltwater. Added to these others

factors such as waste from both industrial and residential sources, invasive species and

wide fish pens and you have what Laguna Lake is now. This change in water quality

has directly affected the everyday lives of the fishermen.

Low Lake Water Quality The current water grade of Laguna Lake is Grade C

which is for fishing but not for any form of contact recreation and at the same time the

lake is considered hyper eutrophic. This condition of the lake is indeed far from its

condition during the 1980’s and its effects have been evident. For one, the lake water is

no longer potable. The Lake was once a source of drinking water for the fishermen.

Today, they source it from the mainland from filtration stores of from deep well pumps.

The change in lake water quality also affected the fish catch of the fishermen as well as

the time they consume for a fishing trip. The average fishing time of fishermen back in

the 1980’s ranged from 3 – 6 hours and they were able to catch an average of more

than 10 kilos a day. Compared to today, it averages around 3 – 6 hours and 6 – 9

hours, increasing fishing time to a minimum of 3 hours. As for the quantity of the fishes

they get, they catch an average of only 3-5 kilos a day, not even enough to breakeven

the costs of the oil and the materials they used for fishing. The change in lake water

quality affects the health and growth of the fishes. Without 36 saltwater, the growth of

planktons is hindered. Planktons are the natural food source of the fish in the lake and

without saltwater, plankton proliferation is minimal. The low water quality also affected

the biodiversity present in the lake. The fishermen witnessed the plant life present

before and now. The plants that grew around the lake before are now few and some

only grow in select areas. As for fishes, from 23 species of fish, only 6 are now present
in Laguna Lake. Loss of biodiversity affects the environment in general as it affects the

balance of the ecosystem.

Resources:

• http://binangonan.50webs.com/municipality.html

• https://www.innovations-report.com/ecology-the-environment-and-

conservation/ayungin-leiopotherapon-plumbeus-target-conservation-131742/

• https://thefishsite.com/articles/hatchery-breakthrough-could-save-filipino-favourite

• http://repository.seafdec.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12066/6671/Aquaculture-

potential.pdf;jsessionid=3E979E643584432988E6882A27A876D4?sequence=1

• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1439-0426.2007.00862.x

• https://www.dlsu.edu.ph/wp-content/uploads/pdf/conferences/research-congress-

proceedings/2016/GRC/GRC-FNH-I-002.pdf