FAMILIES can now simply raise hito (catfish) in their backyard with plastic drums which could be a good source of livelihood or for their own consumption.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Northern Mindanao is introducing the urban aquaculture, a low-cost technology which will enable the beneficiaries to raise hito using containers like plastic drums (to grow food fish) that do not require aeration and other expensive accessories.

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Thirty to 50 pieces of 3-4 inches hito can be grown in one plastic drum with a survival rate of 90 percent.

After a four-month culture period, nine kilograms or three pieces per kilo will be harvested which can be sold at Php 90 per kilo.

Production cost for 50 pieces in a drum which include leftovers—mostly meat or entrails excluding labor—is only around 750 pesos with a net of 375 pesos.

Hito is a fast growing type of fish that thrives in rice fields, rivers and muddy places. They are carnivorous so their feed is 90 percent meat or other protein sources.

BFAR-Northern Mindanao Director David Ernacio describes this technology as manageable and environment-friendly that is adaptable to urban conditions and needs only a very limited space.

In Cagayan de Oro City, three barangays namely Nazareth, Bugo and Puerto are beneficiaries for this technology demonstration in the region wherein BFAR provided the beneficiaries with three plastic drums including hito fingerlings while the beneficiaries shouldered the supplemental feeds like trash fish and meat-based leftovers. (BFAR 10/Press Release)