The Marine Aquarium Fishes of Ilocos Sur

Abstract

A brief profile of the marine aquarium fishing industry in Ilocos Sur was obtained through personal interview with the aquarium fishermen. The researchers went to several coastal municipalities of Ilocos Sur, like Santiago, San Esteban, Sta. Maria, Santa, Magsingal, Cabugao, and Sinait, looking for aquarium fishermen, but it was only in Barangay Nalvo, Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur, where these fishermen were found. Underwater shots of the aquarium fishes, were documented in four sampling areas for a duration of six months, with the primary aim of establishing a basic knowledge on the marine aquarium fishes of Ilocos Sur. Catches of the aquarium fishermen in Nalvo, Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur supplemented the data in this municipality. Forty-five fishermen were engaged in aquarium fishing and majority earn a monthly income of P3,000.00-P3,999.00. Difficulty in catching, low prices and seasonality of aquariumfishes, and high mortality rate were among the problems encountered. Results showed that 68 species of aquarium fishes thrived in the four municipalities. Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur ranked first in terms of the diversity of marine aquarium fishes, with 64 species, followed by Cabugao, San Esteban, and Magsingal. The most dominant species were blue damsel, cleaner shrimp, domino damsel, longfin bannerfish, nine-banded cardinal fish, ordinary butterfly fish, rock lobster, scorpionfish, and lionfish.