Physico-chemical and biological features of the northern shore areas of Volcano Island, Lake Taal observed at monthly intervals from four stations during the period 1994 and 1996 indicate varied microhabitats inhabited by a variety of plants and animals. Physico-chemical characteristics of surface waters were: temperature, 28-35°C; dissolved oxygen content, 3.5-6.2 ppm; pH, 7.5-8.9; salinity, 0-24 ppt; and conductivity, 1.6-4.3 S cm^-1. Substratum types were mainly sandy with pebbles or rocks or sandy-muddy. Characteristic submerged plants were the eelgrass Vallisneria gigantea and filamentous green algae. In the eelgrass region, atyid shrimps, mostly Ciridina gracilirostris, commonly occur. Snails such as Melanoides costellaris and Terebia granifera were the most abundant benthic animals collected. Other invertebrates identified from core samples were Corbicula manilensis, annelids, crustaceans and chironomid larvae.

The effects of local government's implementation of the current national policy on open access in municipal fisheries are assessed in terms of their impact on the fishery resources of Taal Lake. Local officials and fisherfolk were interviewed and their responses were analyzed for trends in perceptions on how local open access policies affect fishing practices and productivity in the lake. A policy matrix containing certain areas of concern of local governments related to sound decisionmaking on lake fishery was designed. The study shows that local government implementation of open access policy in Taal Lake tends to have negative effects on the lake's fisheries. Open access allows for the unregulated entry of fishing practices like fish cage culture which tend to increase the pollution load in the lake. Pollution due to fish farming in cages seems to even exceed loads from domestic wastes and agricultural runoff. While fish cages flourished in the lake, the income of small fisher folk has declined because of dwindling catch from capture fisheries. It is recommended that national government agencies (e.g., Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Environment and Natural Resources) should forge an agreement with local government units for a continuing assessment of the fishery resources in Taal. This needs to be coupled with technical assistance to undertake sustained efforts to improve the conservation, productivity and management of the lake's aquatic resources. There is also a need to increase the budgetary allocations for new research and extension activities to address problems and issues of the fishery sector in the lake and for upgrading the capability of local and sectoral policy and decision makers on the lake's fisheries.

Lake Danao is a picturesque inland body of water having an area of 685 ha located in the municipality of San Francisco in Pacijan Island, Camotes, Cebu. At the middle of the lake is a circular islet with an area of one acre. This lake is a potential area for cultivation of fishes in pens and cages. To date there are only two agencies which use the lake for fish production, namely; the Department of Agriculture Regional Office No 7 Carmen-Lake Danao Fishery Complex Research Outreach Station and the CSCST-Fishery and Industrial College, San Francisco, Cebu. The following are the ranges of selected water quality parameters: salinity, 0-0.5 ppt; water temperature, 27-29 °C; pH, 8.5-9. The lake has no definite inlet and outlet of water and is free from pollutants. The water is clear with assorted vegetation. The soil is coarse, silty and sandy. The present study has shown the feasibility of growing tilapia in cages in Lake Danao.

Tilapia culture in Lake Sebu started in the early 1970's and is now considered the backbone of the economy and major driving force of the development of the Municipality of Lake Sebu. About 19% of Lake Sebu's 354 ha water area is used for aquaculture. The present tilapia production system is not as intensive as in other lakes in the country. The daily 3-ton tilapia harvest is marketed in the different towns within the province and in neighboring provinces. Municipal Ordinance 01, Series of 1994 regulates fish cage establishment within the lake. The local government unit launched a semi-annual 'Oplan Linis', a clean up operation to remove floating debris, water hyacinth, and other vegetation along the lakeshore. Reforestation has been implemented as part of the watershed management program. For centralized marketing and effective collection of revenues, a fish port was opened in January 1997. The tilapia industry in Lake Sebu is now confronted with several setbacks. Poor-quality seeds require a longer culture period and, despite higher inputs, still result in low production. Fish kills, locally termed 'kamahong', are becoming more frequent and devastating. Market competition is another problem. Producers of intensively fed tilapia from Lake Sebu have to contend with a large volume of unfed and low priced tilapia from Lake Buluan (Lutayan area).

Parasitic crustaceans are among the most harmful parasites of fishes. Certain species cause disease outbreaks and mortalities in aquaculture, facilities, and sometimes in natural systems, resulting in serious economic losses. Edible fishes from some Philippine lakes also show infestation by parasitic crustaceans. The branchiuran, Argulus indicus Weber, and the copepod, Lernaea cyprinacea Linnaeus, were recovered from the skin and base of the dorsal fin, respectively, of the mudfish Channa striata from Laguna de Bay. L. cyprinacea was also found on the white goby Glossogobius giurus in Naujan Lake. In La Mesa Reservoir, the gills of wild populations of tilapias Oreochromis niloticus and Tilapia zillii, white goby, and silvery theraponid Therapon plumbeus were infected with the copepod, Ergasilus philippinensis Velasquez. An isopod, Alitropus typus Edwards, was recovered from the buccal and gill cavities of several fishes from Lake Taal, namely; the mud gudgeon Ophiocara aporos, cardinal fish Apogon thermalis, silvery theraponid, and cage cultured Oreochromis niloticus. Previous reports and above finding indicate wide host specificity of the parasites. Of these four parasites, only Ergasilus philippinensis has not been reported to cause mass mortality in cultured fishes. Measures should be undertaken to prevent their introduction to other water bodies in which they do not yet occur.

Sustainable fisheries development partly depends on the availability of adequate zooplankton as principal food items of early life history stages of economically important fish species as well as of the adults of some species such as clupeids (e.g., Sardinella tawilis of Lake Taal in Batangas). The broad characteristics of the composition of freshwater zooplankton (Rotifera, Cladocera and Copepoda) of natural and man-made lakes in the Philippines are compared with those of the Oriental Region, in particular, and other tropical regions, in general. Two species of calanoid copepods are endemic, a somewhat remarkable occurrence considering that calanoids are represented by only five known species in the Philippines and absent in many large tropical lakes. Daphnia, which almost invariably influences food-web interactions and structures of plankton communities in temperate lakes, still has to be recorded.

Geographically located in Central Mindanao, Lake Lanao is the second largest lake in the Philippines. The lake is famous locally for its various uses and internationally for its endemic cyprinids. This paper intends to inform the local leaders and the national planners about Lake Lanao's dwindling fisheries resources, the extinction of some endemic cyprinids, and the current interventions as well as suggested action plans to increase fish production and to conserve the remaining species in the lake. The past and present studies on the lake are also reviewed. Early and latest statistics on the lake's fisheries production are presented to invite the interest of all sectors in coming up with the integrated approach to protect, conserve and increase its fisheries production. Local and national interventions to conserve and increase fisheries production are discussed. These include the setting up of BFAR Fisheries Station in Kialdan, Marantao; the establishment of a fish hatchery in Poona, Marantao by Southern Philippines Development Authority; the formation of Save Lake Lanao Movement by the local leaders; the creation of Lake Lanao Research and Development Council; the current concern of Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development-DOST; and the extension and research and development thrusts of the Mindanao State University, College of Fisheries in Marawi City.

The SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department is mandated to: 1) promote and undertake aquaculture research relevant and appropriate for the region; 2) develop human resources for the region; and, 3) disseminate and exchange information on aquaculture. The document provides highlights of activities of the Department during the year 1998.