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In the midst of the giant groupers

First mastered by the Taiwanese in the 1970s, full-cycle or closed loop mariculture entails breeding and rearing fish in complete captivity and is meant to eliminate the need to draw from wild stocks. Hardier but lower-value species such as green grouper and tiger grouper have been successfully bred and reared in captivity since the year 2000. Few have met success with finicky leopard coral trout, but the Palawan Aquaculture Corporation claims to have successfully bred them – a vital first step for the road to full-cycle mariculture.

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By Gregg Yan, WWF

A typical grow-out facility in Southern Palawan. Operators must feed and protect the fish, which are held in submerged cages beneath and around the central hut for around 10 months. There is no electricity. Food and water are supplied exclusively by boat (Gregg Yan/WWF)

A typical grow-out facility in Southern Palawan. Operators must feed and protect the fish, which are held in submerged cages beneath and around the central hut for around 10 months. There is no electricity. Food and water are supplied exclusively by boat (Gregg Yan/WWF)

“Don’t fall into that fish pen,” warns Daryl Dandal, an offshore cage warden. “It has two giant groupers. Both are larger than you.”

I nod and tiptoe through a network of planks above the glittering waters of Taytay in Palawan, Philippines. Here lie about 2,000 fish cages, where various species of grouper are grown to feed a ballooning export trade. For the Philippines, this is the center of the LRFFT: the live reef food fish trade.

What began in the 1980s as an experiment in Samar now employs over 100,000 people in Palawan alone. Palawan’s annual grouper exports exceed P1.7 billion – but the fish are slowly disappearing.

LEOPARD CORAL TROUT

Chinese restaurants usually have a bubbling tank of grouper. Locally called lapu-lapu, señorita or suno, the lethargic predators are among Asia’s most sought-after reef fish, prized for taste and texture. Across the Philippines, millions of juveniles are caught before they reproduce, raising serious concerns about the LRFFT’s sustainability.

Although there are 161 grouper species, the apple of traders’ eyes is the leopard coral trout, an orange fish that fetches up to P7,200 per kilogram in Hong Kong and P13,500 per kilogram in China.

“When the trade started in the 1980s, most wild-caught groupers were market-sized, each around a foot long,” recounts Dr. Geoffrey Muldoon, WWF’s LRFFT strategy leader. “After 30 years, most of the large ones have been fished out. Today just one in five wild-caught groupers is market-sized. Since there aren’t enough adults to go around, the trade turned to grouper ranching, a system where juveniles are caught and grown in guarded offshore cages.”

Within submerged cages and pens, groupers must endure temperature fluctuations, overcrowding and diseases. Many die in the process. Those that survive around 10 months in captivity are sold as market-sized fish – each around a foot long and weighing from 500 to 700 grams. At this stage in the supply chain, a single suno, as the leopard coral trout is locally known, retails for about P2,500.

It’s a lucrative livelihood. Fishers earn up to 50 times more selling a kilogram of suno than other types of fish. Federico and Nida Ellut from northern Palawan sent their three children to school from their income as grouper collectors.

“From a simple straw hut, we now have a two-bedroom concrete home. We’re saving to buy our third boat,” says Nida.

Money talks – but extraction has hidden costs.

STOCKS DEPLETED?

The current system of LRFFT collection is untenable: WWF surveys have shown that over half the groupers taken from Palawan’s reefs are juveniles, a clear sign of dangerous stock depletion.

“Overharvesting has been a huge problem. Fishers were catching five times more than what could be sustained. Spawning aggregations were targeted, depleting brood-stock. Fortunately local governments and fishing communities have embraced conservation efforts,” says WWF-Philippines project manager Mavic Matillano.

WWF is now leading efforts to facilitate the recovery of suno stocks by establishing marine protected areas, plus enhanced enforcement, licensing and education. Alternative solutions may also exist.

“Given the fishery’s dependence on wild juveniles, a way forward is through full-cycle mariculture, potentially freeing suppliers from having to catch wild fish,” explains Muldoon.

First mastered by the Taiwanese in the 1970s, full-cycle or closed loop mariculture entails breeding and rearing fish in complete captivity and is meant to eliminate the need to draw from wild stocks. Hardier but lower-value species such as green grouper and tiger grouper have been successfully bred and reared in captivity since the year 2000. Few have met success with finicky leopard coral trout, but the Palawan Aquaculture Corporation claims to have successfully bred them – a vital first step for the road to full-cycle mariculture.

Farmed suno might soon be a commercial reality, but the clock is ticking.

“Just a few years ago, the panther grouper was at the top of the LRFFT heap,” says Matillano. “It was caught and exported by the millions, but stocks crashed and the government imposed a total ban on the panther grouper. The suno was next in line, becoming LRFFT’s top-traded fish.”

* * *

As I jump and dive around the floating leopard farms of Taytay, I notice how leopard coral trout comprise just half the fish in the cages. Whereas a few years ago cages would brim with bright red suno, each fish cage now hosts an eclectic blend of strawberry, saddle, harlequin and other types of grouper – now pressed into the trade to take the declining suno’s place.

I ponder how long before the suno population crashes. If and when it does, the market will likely move on to other fish, continuing the pattern of over-consumption. It’s clear that full-cycle mariculture of suno and other grouper species is the LRFFT’s best way forward.

Floating offshore cages house dozens of juvenile groupers in the municipality of Taytay in Northern Palawan (Jun Lao)

Floating offshore cages house dozens of juvenile groupers in the municipality of Taytay in Northern Palawan (Jun Lao)

Cherished in China for their ‘lucky’ red color, leopard coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus) await their fate inside a floating cage in Palawan. Some die of stress and disease – but enough survive to make the trade lucrative. Gregg Yan/WWF)

Cherished in China for their ‘lucky’ red color, leopard coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus) await their fate inside a floating cage in Palawan. Some die of stress and disease – but enough survive to make the trade lucrative. Gregg Yan/WWF)

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Destinations

Going Chinese in Pulilan, Bulacan

Craving for #chinesefood in #Bulacan? We tried the offerings of Lee Foo Panciteria #Pulilan, and we’re on the fence here (yes if no choice, no if you can go elsewhere).

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We happened to be in Pulilan in Bulacan, and I had pancit craving. As if on cue, we passed by Lee Foo Panciteria Pulilan, which – after we Google-checked – is supposedly one of the more frequently-visited Chinese restos in these parts of the province, so… of course we checked.

@outragemag Craving for #chinesefood in #Bulacan? We tried the offerings of Lee Foo Panciteria #Pulilan ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, this place is really, REALLY easy to find. Located along the Pulilan Regional Road in Barangay Cut-cot in Pulilan, this is right in the middle of the municipality.

Ikalawa, the resto is actually divided into three parts: one side is for those with reservations, another part is for walk-in diners, and another part is for events. If/when the resto isn’t full, only the main part (middle one) is kept open.

No, this isn’t some fancy resto. More like an airconditioned karinderya, complete with wooden tables and plastic chairs. Look-wise, it wasn’t dirty naman when we were there, so that’s a plus.

Ikatlo, the workers were friendly naman… and they moved fast – e.g. while waiting for our orders, we were given must-check peanuts, and since we finished what we got fast, our waitress was more than happy to accommodate us.

Ika-apat, now… how was the food?

The house specialty, the Lee Foo Chicken (₱265 for half, ₱495 for whole), looked like fried chicken with ketchup. Okay… the breading was okay since it didn’t overpower the meat. The chicken, too, was properly cooked, and it wasn’t dry. But it was tasteless overall; so the ketchup taste is what stays with you.

The Pancit Canton Bihon (₱255) had thin pancit noodles, almost as thin as the bihon. It didn’t have lots of sahog; instead, you’d notice the extenders (like kikiam, and so on). I like good pancit, I swear… but this isn’t one of them, sorry.

The weirdly-wrapped Hakaw (₱155) was small, so it was bitin.

And then there’s the Siomai Steam (₱155), which was, in a word, weird. The size was good, similar to those ₱10 siomais. But the way this was prepared was weird for us – e.g. like the meat was overwatered, and having a hard time staying solid, so that it was smudgy, and disintegrated in the mouth even without chewing. I suppose that, at least, it wasn’t disgusting taste-wise.

Lee Foo Panciteria Pulilan is, we believe, popular. Like President in Chinatown, or a branch of David’s in some mall. To each his or her own nga naman. But for us, we’re off to look for other Chinese restos na muna as we head out in search of more lafangan venues.

Lee Foo Panciteria Pulilan is located at 159 Barangay Cut-cot, Pulilan, 3005 Bulacan Province. For more information, contact 0925 800 0168, or email leefoopanciteria@yahoo.com.

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Travel

Treacherous beauty: Hiking at South Stack Lighthouse in Wales

#Lighthouse fever in #Holyhead, #anglesey via the #SouthStackLighthouse, as checked during this #LGBT trip to #Wales.

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Yes, tech has made many lighthouses redundant. Not that they’re no longer relevant. But navigation-wise, we know we have more advanced solutions. Which, perhaps not surprisingly, led to the reconfiguration of many of them.

In Holyhead, Anglesey in Wales, introducing the South Stack Lighthouse.

@outragemag #Lighthouse fever in #Holyhead, #anglesey via the #SouthStackLighthouse, as checked during this #LGBT trip to #Wales ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, you’d need a ride to be there. Some use private cars, as we did; others join tours; and others cycle to the place.

Ikalawa, what’s there?

The lighthouse itself is located on a small, rocky island off Holyhead. From afar, it looks like someone’s grand home; mansion-like. Accessible siya after you descend down 400 steep steps. 

What will you see while there?

  • the former lighthouse engine room
  • the top of the lighthouse
  • South Stack is also home to breeding seabirds including guillemots, razorbills and puffins

Here’s an FYI: seasonal lang siya bukas.

This is a must-check for lighthouse lovers, of course. Historic, it was built in 1809 by Trinity House from the design of Daniel Alexander. 91-foot tall, it used to allow safe passage for ships on the Dublin–Holyhead–Liverpool sea route. 

Another FYI: It is  allegedly haunted, and has been visited by a team from “Most Haunted”.

The area housing the lighthouse is, itself, worth checking. There are trails for hikers or joggers or cyclists; though the same could be enjoyed by those who are there only to look for good shots.

Check when you’re in the area… even if you just pass by. Nice siya, promise.

But off we go for more LGBTQIA+ rampa

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Travel

Enjoying nature via trail hiking in Wales

Enjoying nature via #trail #hiking at #Snowdonia #SnowdoniaSlateTrail during one #LGBT visit in #Gwynedd, #Wales.

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When in Bangor, you’d be told often that among the best things to do is to hike. And among the must-check is the Snowdonia Slate Trail, which links the old slate-quarrying communities of Eryri/Snowdonia.

So… ayan na nga, even without the right outfit for hiking, but ayaw ma-miss ang chance to check the area, off we went.

@outragemag Enjoying nature via #trail #hiking at #Snowdonia #SnowdoniaSlateTrail during one #LGBT visit in #Gwynedd, #Wales ♬ original sound – Outrage Magazine

Una, the circular route starts near Bangor/Porth Penrhyn. And you need a car or whatever to get to the starting point.

Ikalawa, the trail isn’t just for hiking. It’s also for biking or walking dogs. So you’d be sharing the 133-kilometer long trail with others.

Ikatlo, what’s there?

Mountains built by remnants from quarry sites, to start.

So… Gwynedd used to be known for slate quarrying, and among the biggest players is Penrhyn Quarry which is near Gwynedd, part of The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Now… with slate quarrying, around 75% of extracted material are inferior in quality, called overburden, and so becoming mineral waste. Here, they’re now mountains.

But the trail also shows views typically associated with Wales – e.g. rolling hills that go on forever, rock fences, sheep farms, canals with flowing water… and more.

Usually, sa matatag, people hike the Snowdonia Slate Trail for up to seven days, passing through Bethesda, Llanberis, and so on. But for others… it’s but an opportunity to commune with nature, in a way, while taking those must-have shots.

But we’re off for more LGBTQIA+ discoveries…

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