Fish is a vital commodity in the Philippines, as fish and rice form the basic stables of the Filipino diet. In addition, the Philippine Fisheries have a great potential to develop the production of fisheries products which can readily be exported, particularly frozen tuna and shrimp. The major challenges are thus still in the field of production, to meet the unsatisfied domestic demand and to fulfill the export potentials.
This is not to say that marketing and particularly distribution do not pose problems. Widely fluctuating wholesale prices make the profitability of fishing very speculative. Fresh fish markets are easily saturated temporarily even in the face of existing, unsatisfied demand in the vicinity. Prices at Navotas in particular have a strong tendency to drop suddenly almost every day during the main fishing season, when dealers in fresh fish have obtained their immediate requirements, and the remaining fish is purchased by processors of dried fish or fish paste or sauce.
From the producers point of view, there is a desperate need to expand the fresh fish sale or to adopt some form of processing which will permit a higher price to be paid than is now given for the excess fish not purchased for fresh consumption. There is also much room for improvement in fish handling, as port and landing facilities are generally inadequate and in many places non existent. In the bigger coastal cities and towns, market-sheds are available, but in many places the fish are landed on the beach and placed for sale on the bare sand exposed to the elements.
At the bigger landing places, the fish are sold by auction through fishbrokers (commission agents) either by secret bidding (whispering) or, in some places in the provinces, by open oral bidding. The wholesale of fish takes place during the night or in the very early morning, so that the fish can be distributed to the retail market before the temperature becomes too high. Fish business transactions are to a considerable extent in the hands of women, both sellers (brokers) and buyers (middlemen or wholesalers and retailers).
3.1.1 Fishlanding at Navotas
The most important landing place in the Greater Manila area is at Navotas located just north of Manila. Navotas has no port facilities where the fishing vessels can berth alongside a pier or dock for unloading nor find shelter during bad weather. The water is very shallow and the fishing vessels have to anchor about a half to one mile from the shore in deeper water. The unloading of fish takes place at the anchorage, and fish is brought ashore in ‘amphibians’ (U.S. surplus DUKW) for which purpose there are about 30 available. Ice, fishing gear and other supplies may also be brought back to the vessels by the amphibian trucks, or the boats go to Manila Harbour for taking on supplies.
In order to improve the landing facilities for the amphibian trucks and to construct a new fish market, the Fisheries Commission started to reclaim an area of about 2.5 ha outside the present fish market. The reclamation of this area had almost been finished by the end of the expert's assignment and the construction of the foundation to the market had also been started.
Even if the construction of a fish market on the reclaimed plot is an improvement from a sanitary point of view, it will not solve the unloading problem, as the amphibian trucks will still have to be used. There is, however, a feasibility survey going on for the construction of a real fishing harbour at Navotas. If this materializes, the above-mentioned reclaimed area will be included in the future harbour project. Consequently, the fish market will only be a temporary one and, consequently, it was decided to make the construction as cheap as possible, and decision was made to put up some prefabricated Marcos-type schoolhouses to serve as market.
Of the total landings of 223 288 t in the Greater Manila area in 1967, 191 000 tons were landed at Navotas or 85.81 percent, whereas the total landings of fish in the Manila area accounts for 67.47 percent of the total commercial catch in the Philippines (see Fig. 1).
3.1.2 Navotas Wholesale Fish Market
The present wholesale fish market consists of individual sheds along the beach between North Bay Boulevard and the shore for a distance of about 230 metres (m). There are 18 individual sheds occupied by 18 brokers or commission agents.
Since the expert's pre-project TA assignment 1, there has been much improvement. Most of the stallholders have provided the stalls with concrete flooring where they place the fish for sale, instead of on the bare muddy beach as was done previously.
Since the area outside the fish market has been reclaimed, the unloading of fish to the market from the amphibians has been more difficult and complicated. This state of affairs, is, however, of a transient character and will be improved when the whole reclamation is finished and a proper roadway for amphibians is constructed, enabling unloading direct to the market.
All fish landed in the Navotas market are in containers, mostly in tubes (bañeras) or in wooden boxes and wooden trays. The bañeras are made of galvanized iron sheets with the following measurements: top diameter about 60 centimetres (cm), bottom diameter about 46 cm, height about 26 cm. The bañeras can be nested when empty and thus do not take up much space on board the fishing vessels. A bañera contains about 35–40 kg of fish, depending on the species and size of fish. The tray (kaha) is a small shallow tray with the following measurements: length 61 cm, width 33 cm, height about 8 cm. The trays contain about 6–7 kg of small fish or shrimps. The trays are mostly used by the smaller Manila Bay trawlers.
The fish are sorted according to species by the fishermen on board the vessels, consequently no sorting takes place in the market. Since the containers are all of standard size, no weighing of the fish - except for very big fish - is done, as the fish are sold by the bañera or by the tray. The very big fish are sold by the piece.
The unloading of fish from fishing vessels starts about 20.00 hours (8 p.m.) and the first fish reach the market about 21.00 hours (9 p.m.). The auctioning or sale of fish does not start until after midnight, except for fish which are distributed to other provinces by trucks, which are normally sent off earlier in order to reach the place of destination in the early morning.
From about midnight, the market is crowded with buyers, mostly women, who are looking around from broker to broker to get an idea about the quantity and species of fish available. By about 02.00 hours (2 a.m.) the real selling and buying has started.
The auctioning of fish in Navotas is carried out by secret oral bidding. The buyers whisper their bids in the ears of the broker, who sells the fish to the highest bidder, without anyone else knowing the price.
The present market in Navotas is far too small to handle the increased amount of fish, especially during the season with peak landings. Therefore, the North Bay Boulevard roadside is also used at times, which creates a big traffic-jam of trucks and jeepneys, that are bringing fish to the market as well as hauling fish from the market to the retail markets in Greater Manila and suburbs. This, however, will to some extent be remedied, when the reclaimed site is brought into use: at least part of the landed fish will be sold there where there will be more space and a wider access road enabling a smoother traffic flow to and from the market.
As can be seen from Table 3, round-scad and slipmouth are the most common species of fish landed, measured to volume. Round-scad is caught by the purseseiners and basnig boats (bagnet) whereas slipmouth is caught mainly by the trawlers. The boats take ice on board before leaving on a fishing trip, which sometimes may last 12 days or even more. It is obvious that the fish caught on the first days are not as fresh or of as good quality as the fish caught on the last days of the trip. On days with a glut in the market the oldest fish will not fetch the same price as the very fresh ones, and therefore this fish is sold for processing, either bagoong (fish paste) or patis (fish sauce) as well as for drying and smoking.
The brokers usually charge a 5 percent commission including labour cost for unloading from the amphibians and loading of the trucks and jeepneys. When the broker provides the bañeras used by the vessel, the commission is 6 percent. The transport charge from vessel to shore is on a per trip basis which is Pesos 15 - or about 17 centavos per bañera of 35 kg (about 2 centivos per kg).
3.1.3 Divisoria Fish Market
Divisoria is another wholesale fish market, located in San Nicholas, Manila. There is no market hall, but the wholesale of fish takes place in the street and sidewalks alongside the Divisoria central market. Although the Divisoria market is situated close to a narrow tributary of Pasig river called Estero de Binondo there are no landings of fish from this waterway. All the fish are hauled by trucks and jeepneys from other smaller landing places in the nearby provinces, as well as from shipments coming to Manila by rail or from inter-island vessels which are unloaded at the North Harbour not far from Divisoria market.
There are no statistical figures available for the quantity of fish sold at Divisoria, but the greater part of milkfish and shrimp arriving by rail or inter-island vessels is sold here in this market.
The sales procedure in Divisoria is more or less the same as in Navotas, that is, by whispered bidding. However, here the fish is sold by weight (kg) instead of by bañera or box.
As there is no shelter, the fish is exposed to the elements and heavy rain showers, especially during the rainy season, affect the quality of the fish, particularly the fish that has been iced. The rain melts the ice and warms up the fish and thus reduces the keeping quality. Sanitation also leaves much to be desired.
3.1.4 Malabon Wholesale Fish Market
The third wholesale fish market of any significance is located at Malabon close to the Malabon River. It is entirely devoted to the sale of milkfish (bangus) brought to the market by small bancas from the nearby fishponds with access to Malabon River. In addition, some milkfish are also brought into the market by trucks and jeepneys from the province of Bulacan.
On arrival, the fish are sorted according to size and placed for sale on the concrete floor in lots. The sales procedure is by whispered bidding and the bids are per lot and not by weight.
3.1.5 Retail Markets in the Manila Area
Retailing takes place all over in the Manila area in the central public markets which are divided into special sections according to the kind of commodity. There are about 20 permanent and 13 temporary retail markets with special fish sections. These sections are arranged in several rows of selling tables and platforms, which again are divided in individual stalls and rented out to retailers who pay a daily fee to the market authorities.
In most places, the selling tables and platforms are covered with hard materials, such as white tiles, galvanized iron sheets or concrete slabs. In some localities the selling tables in the temporary markets are made of wooden planks where the fish is displayed on big banana leaves or plastic sheets. Most of the markets are provided with a drainage system and running water with a separate faucet for each stall.
In addition to these stationary retail markets, there are many fish vendors peddling fish from door to door, especially in the outskirts of the city where there are no central markets in the close vicinity.
The retailers start work at about 4 a.m., at which time the fish start to arrive from the wholesalers or middlemen. When the fish arrive in iced condition, they are taken out of the containers (bañeras or boxes) and displayed on the selling tables or platforms. The ice is removed and in most cases the fish are washed in freshwater from the faucet in order to make the appearance of the fish as attractive as possible to the customer. The smaller fish are arranged in lots with a selling price of 50 centavos or 1.00 peso, whereas the bigger fish are arranged according to species and sold by weight. The very big fish such as Spanish mackerel, tuna and others, are cut into slices and sold by slice or by weight.
It is obvious that the removal of the fish from the original container with ice and especially the washing of the fish in rather warm tap water, have an unfavourable effect on the keeping quality. The reason for this procedure is that the Philippine housewives are accustomed to live fresh fish only and are suspicious of buying fish on ice. However, there has been an improvement in this respect, and more and more retailers are putting some crushed ice on top of the fish displayed for sale.
There is a big demand for fish and the retail markets are crowded with customers in the early morning.
Although there is much that could be done to improve sanitary conditions, it should be maintained that quality and freshness of the fish is comparatively good. In Manila markets, there is a special Fish Inspection Service under the Market Supervisor of the Municipal Office. Fish not fit for human consumption are condemmed and destroyed.
The retail sale of dried, smoked and fermented fish (bagoong) does not take place in the fresh fish sections but in the grocery section. There are some stalls which only sell dried fish but the sale of dried and fermented fish is mostly combined with other grocery commodities.
As with fresh fish, there is a rather big demand for dried fish and fish paste (bagoong) as well as smoked fish (tinapa). Although household refrigerators are becoming more common, the majority of the Manila households are still without them, especially these in the lower income group. It is therefore more convenient for these people to buy dried fish, which can be kept for a longer time without refrigeration. In addition, dried fish is not as expensive as fresh fish, comparing the nutritive value by weight.
Wholesale fish markets in the provinces exist only in some of the bigger cities with access to the sea such as Bacolod, Cadiz, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Mercedes, and Tacloban. In others the fish are distributed direct to the retailers by wholesalers at negotiated fixed prices and auctioning of the fish does not take place.
The wholesale markets in the provinces are small compared with Navotas but are, in general, in better condition. Most of them have concrete flooring and are thus easier to keep clean. However, in most places, the sale of fish takes place in the open air without protection against the elements.
The sales procedure also differs from that in Navotas; in most places where the fish are sold by auction, sale is by open oral bidding.
In places where there is no ice available, fish not sold to the retailers are disposed of to the dried fish manufactures who, in many places, are also the owners of the fishing vessels.
The retail markets in the provinces are similar to those in the Manila area, that is a special section within the central markets wherever there is one. In general, the retail markets in the provinces are inferior to those in Manila. There is, however, a trend toward improvement in some cities, especially in cities where completely new markets have been built after the old ones have been destroyed by fire. For example, in Naga City, a new central market has been constructed in a three-storied building with a circular drive-way in the centre of the buildings so that jeepneys and smaller trucks can drive all the way to the top floor, which is occupied by the fish section. The layout is very practical and could well be copied by other cities, including Manila.
In the smaller towns and villages (barrios) where there are no central markets, there is, as a rule, a market place in the centre of the town where farmers bring their products and where fish vendors also put up their stalls on market days, mostly twice a week, selling fresh fish as well as dried fish.
In the interior towns, freshwater fish from the lakes and rivers, baggus (milk-fish) and dried fish are dominant. The freshwater fish are mostly sold alive and kept alive in tubs and tanks filled with fresh water. Dried fish is, however, also sold in groceries stores and is available at all times. Marine fish are also sold in the interior markets, but there is an outspoken dislike for iced fish, because the customers are suspicious of its freshness. Consequently, even if the fish arrive in good iced condition, the retailers remove the ice still left in the bañeras or boxes, and wash the fish in freshwater just as is the custom in Manila.
3.4.1 Wholesale Prices at Navotas
The Fisheries Commission initiated the collection of wholesale prices in the Navotas wholesale market in May 1968. In order to get an idea of the fluctuation of prices during the market hours, the average prices were taken twice, at 2.0 a.m. and at 5 a.m., which more or less correspond to the height of the sale to retailers and to the end of the sale, when the fish processors are in the market.
There is only a slight difference in the opening prices at 2 a.m. and closing prices at 5 a.m. for the better quality market fish which go entirely to the retail markets as fresh fish, whereas there can be a rather big difference in the prices of lower class fish that are utilized for processing into bagoong (fish paste), patis (fish sauce), Tinapa (smoked fish) and for drying and salting. However, on some occasions, the prices are even higher at closing time than at opening time, but this only occurs when there is a short supply of fish and nothing is sold to the processors.
3.4.2 Retail Prices of Fish in Manila Markets
The retail prices of fish are more stable and not subject to as big fluctuations as the wholesale prices. This means that, when the prices are low at the wholesale market, the retail prices do not follow suit to the same extent. On the other hand, when there is a short supply or some good market fish for which there is a stable demand and the wholesale prices are high, the retail prices do not always follow this temporary increase.
In Table 8, comparison is made between wholesale and retail prices from May 1968 through March 1969, the only months for which records on wholesale prices are available. The wholesale prices are taken from the prices prevailing at 2 a.m. in Navotas and retail prices are average prices collected from four of the main retail markets in Manila, that is Divisoria, Paco, Pasay and Quinta.
Tables 10–13 show the monthly average retail prices for the years 1965 through 1968, and in Table 14 the yearly average prices are given with the highest and lowest prices during the year.
The rather low prices in January and February 1968 were due to the fishworm stories in the newspapers which inhibited people from buying fish. However, the prices started to rise again during March and April, reaching their highest level in December.
Transportation of fish from the Navotas wholesale market to the central markets is carried out entirely by jeepney hired by the buyers of the fish. Fish coming from other landing places in Southern Luzon is mostly carried by ordinary trucks. However, trucks with a closed and insulated body are becoming more common for the transport of fish. Only small quantities arrive by train or inter-island vessels. There are no insulated or refrigerated railway cars available, and the inter-island vessels have no refrigerated accommodation for perishable foodstuffs.
3.5.1 Transport of Fish by Jeepneys and Trucks
Within the Greater Manila area, most of the fish is transported to and from the markets by jeepneys (public passenger jeepneys or privately owned). The jeepneys can carry up to about 20 bañeras of 35 kg fish. The fish are not covered during the transport, but the transport takes place during the night or the very early morning when it is cooler. Jeepneys are also used by fishmongers or peddlers taking fish to the villages in the near upland. In this case, the fish is covered with a tarpaulin or plastic sheets.
For long-distance transport and transport in bulk, trucks are used from the landing places - especially in Southern Luzon - to Navotas. There has been an improvement in this method, as more closed body and insulated trucks have been taken into use. It can be mentioned that one private company engaged in fishing and distribution has a fleet of ten insulated trucks with a capacity of about 100 bañeras of 35 kg each. These trucks are used for distribution of fish from Navotas to the inland provinces such as Pampanga, Tarlac, Pangasinan.
3.5.2 Transport of Fish by Railway and Public Bus
The transport of fish by public railways and buses is of only minor significance, and is almost confined to some higher priced fish from the Bicol area. According to the Fisheries Statistics only 295 tons of fish were sent by train in 1967.
The fish sent by rail are loaded in heavy wooden boxes lined and covered with green banana leaves. which have proved to be good insulation material for shipments of fresh fish on ice. There are two sizes of standard boxes for transport by rail:
| Standard Box No. 1 | Standard Box No. 2 | |
| Tara weight | 50 kg | 40 kg |
| Loaded " | 250 kg | 170 kg |
| Inside dimensions | 100 × 50 × 45 cm | 100 × 50 × 30 cm |
| Thickness of wood | 2.5 cm (1 inch) | 2.5 cm (1 inch) |
3.5.3 Transport of Fish by Inter-Island Vessels
Transport of fresh fish by inter-island vessels is mainly confined to bangus (milkfish) and shrimp from the Visayan area.
For transport of milkfish very big and heavy wooden boxes with the following dimensions 48 × 48 × 48 inches (in) (121.9 × 121.9 × 121.9 cm) or about 1.8 cubic metres (m3) are used. The boxes are not insulated and contain about 600 kg of milkfish packed loose and mixed with ice. The boxes are placed on deck on the vessels and are discharged by being lifted on to trucks by ship's tackle. It is obvious that the fish at the bottom of the boxes are subjected to very heavy pressure and emerge squeezed and deformed.
3.5.4 Transport of Fish by Fish Carriers
The fish carriers are ordinary fishing vessels which can be used for both fishing and transport of fish from the fishing grounds to the place of landing. They are all privately owned by the bigger fishing vessel operators who have an organized schedule for transporting fish from their own vessels only.
The carriers are provided with insulated holds and before leaving port they are loaded with ice and empty containers. One carrier follows the fishing fleet and the daily catch is transferred to a carrier, which proceeds as soon as it has a full load to the place of landing, usually Navotas. In the meantime a second carrier has arrived at the fishing grounds with new ice, containers and provisions for the fleet still at the fishing ground. In this way, the catcher vessels can stay at the fishing grounds following the movement of the fish without losing fishing time or losing track of the fish. This arrangement seems to work very well and the fish are brought to the market with a minimum of delay.
Ice plants and cold stores in the Philippines are run on a franchise basis. According to information from the Public Service Commission, there were at the end of the expert's assignment about 308 franchised ice plants with a total daily capacity of around 6 000 tons of ice, and about 73 cold storages with a total storage capacity of 845 000 m3. Only a part of the ice production, as well as the cold storage facilities, are available for the fishing industry. The greater part is used for the general public by hotels, restaurants and refreshment establishments, etc.
In the Manila area more ice plants are being completed and within the near future they will most likely be able to cope with the demand of the fishing fleet and fishing industry.
In the provinces, the production of ice is based mainly on the consumption by hotels, restaurants and private households. Consequently the fishing industry suffers, especially during the peak season. It would appear that several ice plants are not working at full capacity, but only on a daily sale basis, without building up a stock of ice to meet fluctuations in demand. Production is thus kept on an almost shortage level, and the prices are also kept at the highest level.
3.6.1 Ice Plant and Cold Storage Project of Philippine Fisheries Commission
In 1965, the Fisheries Commission took over the ice plant and cold storage equipment which was acquired partly through reparations and partly by funds donated by the NEC-US AID under the Emergency Employment Administration Scheme. The ice-making plants have a daily capacity of from 5 to 40 tons daily and a storage capacity from 5 to 50 tons. These plants have been assigned to the following places in the Philippines:
Masinloc, Zambales; Magallanes, Sorsogon; Guiuan, Samar; Sagay, Negros Occidental; Barugo, Leyte; Mercedes, Camarines Norte; New Washington, Aklan; Sta. Ana, Cagayan; Liminangoong, Palawan; Siasi, Sulu; Jolo, Sulu; Bato-Bato Sulu; Saravia, Negros Occidental; Bayawan, Negros Oriental; Iloilo City; Dalahican, Lucena City.
By the end of the expert's assignment, only a few were operating, and the rest were still under construction or else construction had not yet been started.
The purpose of these ice-plants is to provide ice for the fishing industry in areas where there are no franchised ice-plants or at least none producing or selling ice for the fishing industry.
3.6.2 Storage of Fresh Fish
Very little wet fish is stored in the Philippines because the Filipinos prefer fresh fish and dislike fish which has been stored in a chill storage. Since there is a supply of fresh fish almost every day, fish which cannot be disposed of to the retail market is then sold to fish processors for drying or bagoong, or patis-making even if the price is very low.
With peak catches and landings, the fishing boat operators attempt to regulate the supply to the market by keeping part of the fish on board the vessels for a few days, thus matching in some degree the supply to the demand. The absence of any reliable market information, the extra cost of handling, the poor reception on the market and the lack of adequate facilities have discouraged operators from using chill storages on shore for this purpose. Some cooked fish are stored under refrigeration for marketing at a later date, as well as bagoong and dried fish. Bagoong is stored at a chilling temperature above freezing point whereas the cooked fish is stored at a temperature of about -5 to -7°C.
Processing of fish in the Philippines is mainly concentrated on salting, drying, smoking and fermenting. Canning of fish has so far been carried out only on a small-scale because of lack of raw materials at prices competitive with imported commodities. There are no statistics available on the production of processed fish products, but it has been estimated that roughly 25 percent of the total catch is involved.
3.7.1 Freezing of Fish
Freezing of fish in the Philippines is carried out only on a small scale for sale in the retail trade. There are a few fish freezing establishments which have taken up freezing of fish for sale to supermarkets and hotels. The species of fish are mostly confined to the high class food fish such as croaker, snapper, Spanish mackerel and shrimp. They are frozen both in the round and filleted, or, as far as the bigger fish are concerned, also in steaks, wrapped in cellophane. The sale of frozen fish is still very slow and almost limited to foreign residents and the upper-class Filipinos. The common Filipinos housewife cannot afford the higher prices and, moreover, the majority of the Filipino households have no refrigerator in which to keep the fish. Filipinos are not ‘frozen fish minded’ and prefer to buy fresh or dried fish in the central markets.
In recent years there has been an increase in freezing of tuna and shrimps for export, and the expectations are that this will increase greatly in the future.
3.7.2 Salting and Drying
According to the Bureau of Census and Statistics, there were in 1968 477 establishments for drying and smoking fish and 272 establishments for bagoong and patis-making. The distribution of these establishments according to Regions is shown in Table 5. From this table it will be seen that fish drying is concentrated in the Visayan area and fermenting mainly in Central Luzon.
Dried fish is produced all over the country, but production is concentrated mainly in the Visayan area and in remote places where there are no ice and storage facilities, and where there is no road connection to a main town in which the fish could be sold in the fresh fish markets.
The most common species used for drying are anchovies, round scad, slipmouth, herring, sardinella and squids. The smaller fish are sun-dried without any salting, whereas the medium and larger fish are soaked in saturated brine prior to drying. The larger fish such as grouper, Spanish mackerel and frigate mackerel are split open and eviscerated. The fish are placed on flat woven-bamboo trays which are placed on elevated rows of drying racks and exposed to the direct sunshine. The trays with fish are spread out in the morning and collected every evening before the humidity rises at night. The following morning the trays are again spread out for drying, and the same procedure continues on until the fish are sufficiently dry to be sent to the market. The smaller size of fish is packed in standard cases of 25 kg. The larger fish are wrapped in matting materials in various sizes and in bundles.
The dried fish wholesalers are mainly situated in Manila and Cebu from where the dried fish is distributed to the interior cities and towns. The dried fish industry is very important for the supply of protein-rich food to areas where fresh fish is not available. But dried fish is also extensively consumed in coastal areas even if fresh fish is available.
The retail price in the markets is very reasonable compared with fresh fish, bearing in mind that the food and protein value is much higher by weight than for fresh fish. Prices for dried fish normally range between pesos 3 and 4 per kg, according to quality and species, although dried squid is as high as pesos 7 per kg. It should, however, be taken into consideration that dried squid is very high in nutritional value and 100 percent edible.
An important advantage of dried fish is that housewives can keep it in stock without refrigeration.
3.7.3 Smoking of Fish
Smoking of fish is also carried out in many places, although not to the same extent as drying because of the limited keeping quality. Smoking therefore takes place mainly in the bigger cities and towns where the smoked fish can be sold quickly at the central markets and nearby villages. Smoking in the Philippines differs from the method used in countries with more temperate climate. Here the fish is processed in saturated brine to make the fish tender before smoking. The cooking time varies according to the size of fish. Small fish is cooked for only a few minutes whereas larger fish or portions of fish are cooked for up to ten minutes. The fish are placed in small circular trays made of bamboo strips. These trays are then lowered into the boiling brine. After cooking, the trays are removed from the brine and placed on racks to drain before the smoking begins.
The smoke ovens are mostly of the oblong, low, peculiarly Filipino type, built of clay or other material. On the top there are several circular fire holes a little smaller in circumference than the trays. The trays are placed on top in these fire holes, several on top of each other. During the smoking process the trays are shifted around so that all the trays have been at the bottom.
Sawdust is used as fuel and is kept smouldering and producing dense smoke. The smoking process is carried out more to give the fish a golden brown colour and a flavour than for preservation purposes. This applies especially to fish which are to be sold locally within a short time. When smoked fish is to be sent to more distant places, the smoking time is extended, thereby prolonging the keeping property.
The most common species used for smoking are round scad and sardines, and the final product is called ‘tinapa’. For local trade, smoked fish are sold to the retailer in the trays in which they are cooked and smoked, so that there is no handling and repacking involved. The fish trays are returned to the suppliers when a new delivery takes place. If the smoked fish are sent to distant places they are put in bamboo baskets lined with newspapers.
Bigger fish, such as frigate mackerel (tulingan), Spanish mackerel (tangingui) and tuna, are also smoked. The medium size fish are split open in the same way, as when dried, and are salted in brine prior to smoking. The larger fish are cut into slices or steaks about 2.5 – 3 cm thick, before processing.
At times of glut in the fresh fish market when prices are down, the smoke-house operators buy more fish in than they will use for smoking the same day. The excess fish is cooked and stored in a cold storage at a temperature of about -5 to 7° C (19 to 23°F) for later smoking during periods of poorer supply and higher prices. The cooked fish can be kept in cold storage for several months.
3.7.4 Fermented Fishery Products
Fermentation of fish is an old method of preserving fish in the Philippines and is carried out on a large scale in modern factories with automatic plants for bottling patis (fish sauce), the liquid pressed out from the fermented fish. Apart from these modern factories located in Navotas and Malabon, the production of bagoong (fish paste) and patis is mainly concentrated to Central and Southern Luzon, Western Visayas and Bicol (see Table 5), in combination with fish drying and smoking. The manufacture of bagoong and patis also takes place in small scale plants merely as a cottage industry.
The raw material is mostly small fish like anchovies, small slipmouth, small round scad and sardinella. These species of fish do not fetch a very high price in the market and are therefore a suitable raw material for processing into bagoong and patis.
The fermentation of the rawfish takes from several weeks up to 10–12 months. The fish is mixed with salt in big vats of wood or concrete basins where it remains until it has obtained the right flavour and consistency. Afterwards, the liquid is separated by pressing, is filtered and bottled as patis, and the residue is sold as bagoong. Fishpaste is packed in big containers such as second-hand oil drums or 5 gallon kerosene cans, and is shipped to the consumer areas where the product is repacked in retail packs, for example, second-hand tins and cans or glass jars.
In the Visayan and Bicol area, the rawfish is also simply mixed with salt in oil drums and shipped to, for example, Ilocos Provinces and Central Luzon Provinces, where this half-finished product is removed and fermentation finalized according to the special requirements of flavour in each region.
Beside these products, small shrimps are also made into a fishpaste called Alamang bagoong. The process differs from the ordinary bagoong making, as the small shrimps are mixed with salt and dried in the sun for a day or two. Then the shrimps are pounded in a mortar into a paste, which is again dried in the sun and pounded once more. The final product is almost a solid mass which is formed into cylindrical or bar-shaped cakes, in which form it is sold to the consumer.
Good quality bagoong has long keeping qualities and is used as a condiment in special Filipino dishes. In most cases the bagoong is cooked in oil with vegetables, onions, garlic and tomatoes but good quality bagoong can also be eaten raw. Fermented fish products are especially favoured by Filipinos, and are even exported to Guam, Hawaii and the U.S., where there are communities of Filipinos requiring this delicacy.
There are no statistics available on the quantity of bagoong produced.
3.7.5 Canning of Fish
Canning of fish in the Philippines has been of minor importance only because of the lack of raw material at prices to make canning profitable in competition with imported canned fishery products. There are a few canneries, of which only one is canning fish; this is located in Bacolod (Negros Occidental). The only canned product which has any significance is canned tuna in oil, and it is sold in the groceries and supermarkets at a very competitive price compared to canned tuna imported from Japan and U.S. However, Filipinos are not familiar with this type of fish and therefore sales are slow; other species such as mackerel and sardines, which are favoured by the Filipinos, are obtaining such a high price in the fresh fish market that canning is unprofitable in competition with the imported canned mackerel from Japan.
