ABW Dec 2019 -1

n The the PHILIPPINES
Words by JAMES WEBSTER
Photographs as credited
Most individuals salivate at the thought of
sitting down to the unique flavor of a boiled
or steamed lobster meal with their favorite
side dishes. Whereas it can be very expensive
to eat lobster in a restaurant, even here in the Philippines,
cooking it yourself is considerably more economic.
Catching them yourself, however, can be a little dangerous
unless you are well versed in the strict regulations on
catching lobster imposed by the Philippines government.
These regulations include minimum mesh size if netting,
quota and size limits, closed seasons with heavy penalties
for catching “berried females (females carrying eggs). It is
much safer proposition to purchase your lobster from a local
farmer where you can pay as little as 800peso per kilo.
Lobster farming has become a lucrative business in the
Philippines and you can find lobster farms in most coastal
areas of the country, from small farms catering for just family
and friends to large scale farms such as those in Surigao
where lobsters have become a profitable export business.
Generally, regardless of size or purpose, farms are built
in similar fashions. They are constructed close to farmer’s
residence and in some cases below their abodes from native
materials with cages of bamboo covered with netting in
shallow waters close to a deep channel with a steady flow
of current through the cages.
While wild caught seed lobsters (juveniles) are widely
used throughout the Philippines to seed farms making the
harvesting more seasonal, some purchase their seeds at
around 250 peso per 100 fingerlings which will fetch about
1100 peso each on maturity.
Although they will feed on a large range of animal food
lobsters prefer shellfish. Farmers generally feed their
seedlings on seafood refuse purchased cheaply from seafood
markets while others feed them on food caught locally
around their farms. Depending on the size of fingerlings, it
can take 5-10 months for them to grow to harvest size.
So you have decided not to risk catching lobster yourself,
but, why not build your own farm? That would be cheaper
than buying them. Think again because it is not just a
matter of building cages, shoving your seeds in, feed them
for a few months, catch them and eat them. The farm site
is vital to good results and its size has to be in ratio to
number of fingerlings you are raising. Then how much
you feed them has to be proportionate to their weight.
Lobsters shed their shell at different stages of growth and
become very sick during that time, so you have to know
how to deal with that.
Let the people who know what they are doing do they hard
work, pay them a little for it and just enjoy the proceeds.
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