Siri Tookwinas
Seabass (Lates calcalifer) has a great commercial value in Southern Asia and the Pacific. Many countries have selected seabass culture for research and development. In Thailand, spawning of seabass had been successfully achieved which has made seabass fry readily available. Cage culture of the fish has been done mainly in the southern part of Thailand. However, culture has expanded to other parts of the country. Production is sold in the country or exported to neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Hongkong and Australia.
1. Culture
Marine fish culture in Thailand has been practised in ponds and cages. Seabass can be cultured in a pond or a cage. In comparison, grouper can be cultured only in a cage. This is due to the water salinity and other habitat requirements of the species.
From the fishery census of 1985, some 1,579 families engage in marine fish culture in an area of 3,698 rai (6.25 rai = 1 ha) with around 17,920 cages (Table 1).
Some 87.02 percent of the marine fish culture is in the south (Table 2). Finally, the 1985 total production of seabass was about 512 tons, more than the combined production of grouper and mullet (Table 3).
2. Marketing
Seabass is more expensive than most other fish species. The demand is therefore rather limited to those who can afford it. The supply for the local market is already adequate and the prospect for markets abroad is being developed by local producers. The demand for specific processed types and various sizes of marketable fish will also influence the expansion of the industry and its foreign market.
At present, cultured marine fish, especially seabass, are sold in the local markets (in the provinces and in Bangkok). The product is also exported to neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Hongkong and Australia (Figure 1). From the marine fishery census of 1985, most of the marine fish products were sold in the provincial areas (Table 4).
| Type of culture | No. of families | Area (rai)1 | Percent by area |
| 1. Fish culture | 1,579 | 3,698 | 1.58 |
| 1.1 pond culture | 289 | 3,418 | 1.46 |
| 1.2 cage culture | 1,290 | 2802 | 0.12 |
| 2. Shrimp culture | 4,480 | 217,574 | 92.98 |
| 3. Crab culture | 122 | 369 | 0.16 |
| 4. Oyster culture | 1,170 | 3,924 | 1.67 |
| 5. Mussel culture | 257 | 1,456 | 0.62 |
| 6. Cockle culture | 112 | 6,956 | 2.97 |
| 7. Horse mussel culture | 6 | 13 | 0.005 |
| 8. Others. | 3 | 3 | 0.001 |
| Total | 7,720 | 233,993 | 100.00 |
1 1 Rai= 1,600 m2
2 280 Rai = 17,920 cages (5
52 m.)
| Zone | No. of families | Percent |
| Eastern part | 94 | 5.95 |
| Central part | 222 | 7.03 |
| Southern part | 1,374 | 87.02 |
| Total | 1,579 | 100.00 |
| Species | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 |
| Seabass | 215 | 145 | 1,059 | 473 | 512 |
| Grouper | - | - | 176 | 149 | 117 |
| Mullet | - | 1 | - | 4 | - |
| Total | 215 | 146 | 1,235 | 626 | 629 |
| Type of culture | No. of family | Without sale | With sale | Provincial area | Other peovinces | Not reported | |||||
| Sale to consumer | Sale to retailer | Sale to middleman | Sale to fish processor | Sale to Bangkok | Sale to3 others | Sale to fish processor | |||||
| Fish culture | |||||||||||
| 1. pond culture | 289 | 49 | 240 | 13 | 33 | 118 | - | 15 | 61 | - | - |
| 2. cage culture | 1290 | 156 | 1,127 | 67 | 159 | 825 | 1 | 2 | 72 | 1 | 7 |
| Total | 1,579 | 205 | 1,367 | 80 | 192 | 943 | 1 | 17 | 133 | 1 | 7 |
3 = Sale to provinces other than Bangkok
Figure 1. Marketing of cultured seabass in Southern Thailand.
Figure 2. Flowchart of seabass culture (after Kungvankij, et. al, 1986).
| Item | Value | ||
| A | Income | ||
| Newly hatched larvae (1 day old) 10 M. (1,000/2 USD.) | 20,000 | ||
| 0.5 cm. larvae (15 days old) 2 m. (1,000/6 USD.) | 12,000 | ||
| 2.5 cm. larvae (40–50 days old) 2 M. (1,000/100 USD.) | 200,000 | ||
| Sub-total A | 232,000 | ||
| B | Fixed Cost | ||
| Land cost (10,000 18% interest) | 1,800 | (1.2%) | |
| Hatchery construction (50,000 10% depreciation) | 5,000 | (3.3%) | |
| Equipment (20,000 20% deprectation) | 5,000 | (2.6%) | |
| Interest (200,000 18%) | 36,000 | (23.7%) | |
| property tax (1.5%) | 150 | (0.1%) | |
| Sales tax (1%) | 2,320 | (1.5%) | |
| Sub-total B | 49,270 | ||
| C | Operating Cost | ||
| Broodstock | 2,500 | (1.6%) | |
| Broodstock feed | 2,000 | (1.3%) | |
| Artemia cyst | 40,000 | (26.3%) | |
| Hormone | 2,000 | (1.3%) | |
| Chemical/Fertilizer | 2,000 | (1.3%) | |
| Larval feed | 5,000 | (3.3%) | |
| Electricity (12,000/month) | 14,400 | (9.5%) | |
| Fuel & oil | 1,000 | (0.7%) | |
| Labor chief technical 400×12 = 4,800 | |||
| technician 300×3×12 = 10,800 | |||
| workers 100×2×12 = 7,200 | 22,800 | (15.0%) | |
| Materials and supply | 5,000 | (3.3%) | |
| Maintenance | 4,000 | (2.6%) | |
| Sundry | 2,000 | (1.3%) | |
| Sub-total C | 102,700 | ||
| D | Total cost (B +C) | 151,970 | |
| Net operating cost (A - C) | 127,300 | ||
| F | Net income (A - B - C) | 78,030 | |
| G | Income over total cost | 51.34% |
3. The Economics of Seabass Production
Seabass seed production and culture have been developed over the past 15 years. The technology has helped expand the industry and developed into a promising enterprise.
Figure 2 shows the typical techniques and flowchart of seabass culture as as bee developed and practised in Thailand.
The spawner can be collected from the culture area. Spawniong is induced by hormone injection and water manipulation. Larval rearing technique developed in Thailand has been successful and the technology can be and has been transferred to private hatcheries and fishfarmers.
The financial analysis of seabass hatchery is shown in Table 5. It should be noted that the advantage of a hatchery in Thailand is that it can dispose of excess newly hatched larvae to farmers or to other hatcheries. The farmers can operate their own backyard hatchery to rear seabass fry to nursery stage. Therefore, it becomes quite convenient and economical to operate a seabass hatchery. Table 5 shows that income from seabass hatchery is 51.34 percent over total cost.
The economics of marketable fishcage culture is shown in Table 6 of the chapter, “Cage Culture of Seabass in Thailand.”
REFERENCES
Department of Fisheries. 1987. Fisheries Record of Thailand 1985. No. 4/1987. Fish. Stat. Subdivision, Dep't of Fish. 94 p.
Kunvankij, P. et. al. 1986. Biology and Culture of Seabass (Lates calcalifer), NACA Training Manual Series No. 3, NACA/RLCP, Bangkok, 70p.
Sirikul, B. 1982. Aquaculture for seabass in Thailand, SCS/GEN/82/39, UNDP, 9–10p.
Sungkasem, P. 1982. The economics of seabass production, SCS/GEN/82/39, UNDP, 53–58p.
National Statistical Office and Department of Fisheries. 1987 and 1985 Marine fishery census of Thailand. 329p.
