INTRODUCTION

Silver therapon (Leiopotherapon Indige plumbeus), also known as ayungin, was once

considered one of the most plentiful freshwater fisheries resources in the Philippines' largest

lake, Laguna de Bay. For subsistence consumption and livelihood, small-scale fishing

communities around the lake rely on this fishery resource. In most parts of the country, ayungin

has recently been dubbed the most exploited commercial freshwater fish species.

For its delectable meat, the silver therapon, is considered one of the most valuable edible

native freshwater species. Despite the fact that wild silver therapon numbers are falling, demand

for this culinary fish remains high. In a SEAFDEC press release, Dr. Aya stated, "It is sold from

Php 200 to Php 800 per kilo when dried and roughly Php 500 per kilo when fresh, depending on

the season and catch."

Moreover, ayungin consumption is considered a part of the consuming public's tradition,

particularly among those aged 60 and up (Salayo et al., 2015). There's something about ayungin

that makes it more desirable than other freshwater fish like tilapia or milkfish.

It is disconcerting to learn that among the freshwater fish species in the country, the

ayungin has the highest rate of loss (Guerrero III, 2021). The decline in ayungin output has

harmed the livelihoods of about 24,000 fishermen (Israel, 2007) in the Laguna de Bay area,

particularly small-scale fishing communities who rely on the ayungin fishery as their primary

source of food and money.

Due to the loss of this key food fish, there has been a surge in interest in domesticating it for

cultural ayungin production and possibly replenishing dwindling wild numbers. Domestication,

management, and conservation of this native aquatic species have thus been given top

importance. The ayungin is considered an emerging species with potential for inland freshwater
aquaculture due to its ability to breed in captivity and successful hatchery production in outdoor

tanks.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reports that the country's ayungin catch has decreased

from 4,765 tonnes in 2002 to only 1,408 tonnes in 2018. Dr. Aya intends to investigate raising

market-sized ayugin and using it as part of a strategy to stock fry in Laguna de Bay in order to

boost the natural population.

In addition, fish is the primary source of dietary protein in rural families in the

Philippines. Filipinos consumed 37 kg of fish per capita in 2015, according to the Bureau of

Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (2021). The extensive maritime and inland waters of the

country are mostly used to catch fish.

More than 180 native aquatic species can be found in freshwater areas around the country

(Froese & Pauly, 2021). For example, the three largest lakes in south Luzon, Philippines, namely

Laguna de Bay, Taal Lake, and Naujan Lake, are home to a diverse range of native food fish

species.

TABLE OF SUPPLY SCHEDULE

Ayungin, or silver perch, is a tiny fish that is categorized as a near-threatened species in

the Philippines. It is one of the most costly freshwater fishes in the country. It is native to Laguna

de Bay, although it is said to have spread to other bodies of water, including Taal Lake in

Batangas and Sampaloc Lake in Laguna.

Despite recent population and commercial capture losses in Laguna de Bay, demand for

ayungin remains strong, and the fish commands a high price (ranging from P90 to P250 per kilo

of whole fish, fresh or dried, and depending on the season), but it can reach 500 pesos if the

ayungin is much larger, which can reach three fingers in size in the fish market.
 These tables of supply schedule show the estimation of quantity supplied from year 2020

to year 2021. The price of this freshwater species are still high even though there is a decrease to

its production in which it negatively affect the quantity supplied in just a year. But the high

demand of this delicacy helps the supplier to maintain its high price especially in Region IV A-

CALABARZON. The issue on the rapid loss of production of ayungin is now being resolved by

the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources by implementing cage spawning and Larval

rearing techniques for ayungin in outdoor tanks like in some areas in Binangonan, Rizal which is

part of Balik Sigla sa Ilog at Lawa Program of BFAR.

CHANGE IN SUPPLY

Figure 3. Change in supply of Ayungin in CALABARZON (2020 - 2021)

In this figure, we can see the change in supply of ayungin. The price range is still the

same for year 2020 and 2021 but the production of ayungin declined and affect the supply of it

negatively especially in the CALABARZON. If the supply decreases the supply curve shifts to

the left. In this case, the reason of fluctuation in supply of ayungin is the intense fishing of

fishermen around the Laguna De Bay due to lack of regulation from the authority.

TABLE FOR VOLUME PRODUCTION in CALABARZON

Total weight in metric tons of the species (Ayungin) collected in inland bodies of water

each quarter during the reference year in the whole region of CALABARZON.

For the previous four years up to present, we can observe the total weight of Ayungin that

can be delivered in Region IV A- CALABARZON in this table. In 2017, ayungin production

peaked at 180.57 metric tons in the first quarter, then dropped to 157.29 and 155.78 metric tons

in the second and third quarters, before peaking at 279.31 in the fourth quarter.
 The total weight in metric tons generated in 2018 began at 180.13 in the first quarter and

climbed by 3.34 metric tons in the second quarter, but then fell to 174.17 in the third quarter and

166.56 in the fourth.

In 2019, the overall volume of ayungin was substantially lower in the first quarter, with

117.08 metric tons, but climbed to 265.88 in the second quarter, then decreased to 124.05 in the

third quarter, before increasing to 219.53 metric tons by the end of the year.In 2020, the total

volume of production is much lower compared to other years with 137.22, 150.96, 161.62 and

149.06 respectively.

Due to a significant reduction in Ayungin production in 2021, the total weight in metric

tons will not surpass a hundred every quarter, with 66.28 in the first quarter and 58.14 in the

second. (Source: PhIlippine Statistics Authority)

TABLE FOR VOLUME PRODUCTION in RIZAL

Total weight in metric tons of the species (ayungin) collected in inland bodies of water in

the entire Rizal Province each quarter during the reference year.

In 2017, Rizal province's contribution to ayungin supply increased from 56.37 metric tons in the

first quarter to 76.00 metric tons in the second quarter, then decreased to 47.59 in the third

quarter before increasing to 156.14 at the end of the year.

In the first three quarters of 2018, Rizal's ayungin output was positive, with 84.40, 89.55,

and 95.47, respectively. Then, in the fourth quarter, it fell to 49.08 metric tons.

In 2019, the volume of production in Ayungin appears to be on a seesaw, with only 42.19 total

weight in the first quarter, then increasing to 165.44, then declining again to 62.17, but ending

with 117.28 metric tons.

 Even though it climbed very slightly in every quarter with 61.00, 65.50, 102.07, and

64.06, the supply of ayungin produced in 2020 appears to be negative compared to previous

years.

This demonstrates that ayungin output in Rizal Province is dropping in 2021, despite, the

province being the largest provider of ayungin in the region. In the first two quarters, it only

produced 47.20 and 46.86 total metric tons. (Source: PhIlippine Statistics Authority)