Abstract
Fishponds around Manila Bay contributed an average of 41.19% of the total aquaculture production in the country. However, massive productions entail the intensification of ponds, which resulted in water quality deterioration. In 2016, Opinion et al. reported water quality in the aquaculture farms around the bay but does not include the other significant parameters required to be monitored, as stated in the DENR AO (2016). Thus, this study investigated the status of water quality in different pond systems surrounding Manila Bay. Extensive, semi-intensive, and intensive fishponds from adjoining provinces of Cavite, Pampanga, Bataan, and Bulacan were monitored throughout the rearing period. Results showed that levels of NH3-N (0.90 mg/L – 2.35 mg/L) and PO4-3 (1.02 mg/L – 2.42 mg/L) were not suitable for the culture of fish. Nevertheless, NO3-N, NO2-N BOD, TSS, DO, pH, and temperature were within the safe levels. Furthermore, results suggested that there should be a regular monitoring of water quality to regulate and manage fishponds surrounding the bay. Finally, strict compliance of the Code of Good Aquaculture Practices (GAqP) must be imposed to achieve water quality standards.
Highlights
All organisms grow best within particular environmental conditions (Hargreaves and Tucker 2004)
Huge production entails the intensification of the pond system that requires more inputs, which resulted in waste production and water quality deterioration (Henriksson et al 2018; Montojo et al 2020)
The parameters reported in the previous study do not include the biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS), which were considered as the significant parameters to be determined in the aquaculture (DENR AO 2016)
Summary
The sampling was conducted from April to December 2018, covering the flooding and draining of the fishpond. Water samples were collected between 9:00 AM-4:00 PM in consideration of the DO (DENR AO 2016). A total of 5.00 L of composite pond water was collected from three points at a depth of about 30 m below the surface. It was transferred into the acid-washed polyethylene (PE) containers and placed in an ice chest with a temperature not exceeding 6°C for transport. Samples for nitrogen analyses were preserved with concentrated H2SO4 to pH < 2 (Environment Protection Agency 2007). Paired T-Test was used to examine the significant differences among the parameters during flooding and draining. The significance was set at 95% confidence level (p
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