Freshwater aquaculture is an important source of protein worldwide. Over-exploitation of fisheries can, however, add severely to pressures on ecosystem functioning and services. In Southeast Asia, aquaculture in freshwater lakes contributes significantly to the economy and to reductions in poverty and nutritional insecurity. However, overstocking and excessive feeding of fish can lead to a degradation of affected water bodies, manifest as eutrophication, toxic algal blooms, losses of biodiversity and amenity, anoxia and, in extreme cases, collapse of fisheries. Projected increased warming and storminess associated with global climate change are likely to magnify existing problems. Matching levels of aquaculture production with ecological carrying capacity is therefore likely to become increasingly challenging, requiring levels of data and understanding that are rarely available, a problem that is impossible to rectify in the short term using standard limnological approaches. This paper reviews the development of freshwater aquaculture in the Philippines, associated environmental impacts, and relevant environmental regulations and regulatory bodies. The potential role of palaeolimnology, a science that is relatively under-utilised in the tropics generally and in tropical Asia in particular, in complementing extant datasets, including monitoring records, is highlighted through reference to a preliminary study at Lake Mohicap. Lake Mohicap currently supports aquaculture and is one of a cluster of seven volcanic crater lakes on Luzon, the largest of the archipelago of islands forming the Philippines.
The interface between lakes and their outlet rivers is an interesting research site for fish community dynamics because it is immediately exposed to disturbances in lake ecosystems. In this paper, observations on the species composition, dietary habits and distribution of fish in the upstream area of Pansipit River - sole outlet of Lake Taal, were presented. Fish samples comprised of juvenile fish from 12 species, including four that were introduced. These non-native species were more abundant than native fish caught. Dietary analyses suggest that non-native fish have a wider dietary breadth compared to native fish and may be one reason why introduced fish populations have exceeded native fish populations in the area. Fish activity varied depending on time of day in certain sub-sites and these fishes aggregated in intermittent deep pools when water depth is uniformly low in the river during the dry season. These suggest that fish abundance in the area is associated with river water depth and other environmental factors. Overall, the study stresses the need for more in-depth research in Pansipit River given its importance as a migratory path and its potential as a refugia for the riverine fish community.
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