Bio-Economic Assessment of the Tilapia Cage Production in Palakpakin Lake, San Pablo City, Laguna, Philippines

Date

6-2024

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics

College

College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Adviser/Committee Chair

Arvin B. Vista

Committee Member

Geny F. Lapiña, Maria Angeles O. Catelo

Abstract

This study on the “Bio-economic Assessment of the Tilapia Cage Production in Palakpakin Lake, San Pablo City, Laguna 2024” was conducted with the general objective of assessing the bio-economic conditions of the tilapia fish cages in Palakpakin Lake. The following specific objectives were as follows: 1) to describe the biophysical characteristics of the lake, in particular the water quality of the lake; 2) to calculate the revenue and cost of tilapia cage production in the study area; 3) to analyze the factors that affect the tilapia cage production; 4) to estimate the optimal stocking density and feeding ration of tilapia cage production in the lake; and 5) to determine and recommend policy interventions for the lake.

The bio-economic assessment used the levels of the physico-chemical parameters to describe the biophysical condition of the lake in terms of dissolved oxygen (DO), total suspended solids (TSS), total coliform (TC) and phytoplankton. The Laguna Lake Development Authority’s (LLDA) water quality monitoring assessment provided the September to March 2024 data. The randomly selected 72 fish cage operators of Palakpakin Lake in San Pablo City, Laguna, were interviewed on the assessment of fish cages. The physical relationship between inputs and output was estimated using the Cobb-Douglas production function. The average net revenue, gross margin, financial-cost ratio, operating expense ratio, and operating profit margin were used to analyze the profitability of the fish cages. The technical, price and economic efficiency were used to assess the efficiency of fish cages. Using the marginal physical product of inputs and their price ratio, the recommended optimal values were calculated for maximization of efficiency and revenue.

The results showed that the physico-chemical parameters of the lake were within the acceptable levels set by the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) for Class C waters. The technical, price and economic efficiency showed that feeding ration and labor hours should be decreased while stocking density should be increased to maximize profit. The calculation of optimization of inputs showed that a stocking density of 4,725 fingerlings and feeding ration of 1,068 kg per cropping cycle of seven months was the optimal combination of inputs to produce a yield of 1,468 kg. It can be implied that there was a good and sustainable relationship between the fish cages and the lake's biological conditions, given the acceptable water quality parameters and the profitable state of the fish cages. It was recommended to do similar studies for the other seven lakes of San Pablo City, employing tilapia fish cages. Strengthening policies against illegal settlers was also recommended, because these posed potential future threats to the lake. It was also recommended for the fishermen to do a clearing of water hyacinth monthly as these invasive species could double itself within 15 days (Dagnew & Dersseh, 2019)

Language

English

LC Subject

Fish Trade (Economics)

Location

UPLB College of Economics and Management (CEM)

Call Number

LG 993.5 2024 A14 B34

Notes

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Document Type

Thesis

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