Breakthrough technology seen to revolutionize fish trading

A breakthrough technology developed by a Filipino aquaculture practitioner in Central Visayas which enables the transport of live fish and keep these alive for several hours even without water could revolutionize the fish trading business.

The technique which will be officially introduced to the public on June 8, extends a fish’s survival without water while in transit by virtually putting it into a deep sleep or in ‘suspended animation’ early on using certain procedures and some liquid solutions, and later allowing it to recover from unconsciousness.

The new new technology is a better alternative to the conventional practice of keeping fish alive while on travel by putting it in a container with water, a method that is not only inconvenient and cumbersome, but also entails considerable costs.

The technology was developed by Bonifacio Comandante Jr , a private aquaculturist from Dumaguete City, who is now working to get his work patented.

The new technology involves letting the fish catch undergo a conditioning process whereby they are held overnight in filtered, circulated seawater at about 30 degrees Centigrade without feeding, after which they are transferred to another tank filled with brackish water initially kept at 4 degrees C, then gradually allowed to reach 18 to 20 degrees C.

An anti-stress conditioning or acclimatizing then follows by adding a mixture of a liquid solution called Buhi Blend developed by Comandante, to the conditioning tank, and immersing the fishes into it for four minutes after which the stunned animals are arranged in cooled (18 to 20 degrees C) Styropor boxes lined with plastic bags.

The bags are later filled with medical oxygen and sealed for transport. The fishes are expected to regain consciousness after about nine hours.

In a recent test to determine if the technique works, groupers (lapu lapu) delivered to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) central office laboratory in Quezon City from Iloilo using the "waterless technology" were observed after eight hours of travel, with the temperature in the storage box at 25 degrees centigrade.

"The fishes were observed to be initially disoriented but eventually recovered after acclimatization in aerated tap water to which Biomix seawater formula has been added," said BFAR Director Malcolm Sarmiento.

While the waterless transport of live fish has been tried by some traders before, the technology developed by Comandante has greater promise for use by live fish trades in the country, said Sarmiento.

He said the Buhi blend‚ developed by the inventor and used as anti-stress solution needs further analysis to identify its specific components, and to determine if this is safe to use in the live transport of fish intended for human consumption.

So far, Sarmiento pointed out that initial findings from BFAR show there were no harmful substances found in the fish species subjected to the waterless technology.