Erlinda S. Ganzon-Naret:
The Rising Fisheries Nutrition Researcher

By

Melchor F. Cichon
October 17, 2006

Erlinda S. Ganzon-Naret was born on October 25, 1953 in Iloilo City from a poor family.

She is the 3rd child of Mr. Cirilo B. Ganzon and Mrs. Elena S. Ganzon (both deceased).

To survive, Indang, as her friends and colleagues fondly call her, used to vend cigarettes, melon juice and boiled bananas in their neighborhood in Iloilo City.

As a child, Indang dreamed of becoming a doctor, however due to the meager income of her parents she could not enroll to this medical profession.

But she could become a successful professional in another field.

So she studied hard.

She finished her elementary education at the Iloilo Central Elementary School in Iloilo City in 1966 and finished her secondary education with honors at the Iloilo City National High School in Molo, Iloilo City in 1970.

After graduating from high school, she took and successfully passed the Timawa Scholarship examination that was funded by the Iloilo City government. She enrolled at the University of San Agustin and took up a B.S. Biology degree. She graduated cum laude in 1974.

In April 1978, she applied as Research Assistant at UP Brackishwater Aquaculture Station under the research project funded by the National Science Development Board (NSDB).

To further develop her potential as an effective researcher, Ms. Naret was allowed to take a master’s degree in Aquaculture at the UP in the Visayas (UPV) as a UNDP-FAO-UPV scholarship grantee. This was part of the faculty and staff development program of UPV, and was conferred the degree in 1989.

Again, in 1990, she was able to get her Master of Agriculture at the West Visayas State University in Iloilo City.
With this background, she carves her way to fisheries nutrition.

She finds this aspect of fisheries science challenging because it entails a lot of patience and sacrifices just to get reliable results. And find satisfaction when the finished article is published in a peer-reviewed journal. In most cases, she has to work overtime to carefully monitor his experiment and to write acceptable journal articles.

Her researches focus on fish nutrition particularly on rabbit fishes, sea bass, and tilapia using indigenous feed ingredients and live feeds to sustain fish production. (Please see some of her publications at the end of this write-up)

Indang has served as a project leader on the effects of different protein levels on the growth, food conversion and survival of sea bass (Lates calcarifer) in brackishwater ponds in March 1988 until March 1989.

This was followed by another project on the performance of young sea bass (Lates calcarifer) fed with fish silage in April 1994 until March 1995.

As a result of her researches, she was able to attend the Third Asian Fisheries Forum in Singapore on October 26-30, 1992 and the Fourth Asian Fisheries Forum in Beijing , China on October 15-21, 1995.

In May 2004, she presented her research on The Effect of Dietary Inclusion of Selected Soy Products as Partial Replacement for Fish Meal on the Growth and Feed Utilization of Oreochromis niloticus at the 7th Asian Fisheries Forum in Penang, Malaysia.

Prior to this, Ms.Naret attended the Training Course for Senior Aquaculturists in Asia and the Pacific in India , China and Thailand in March 1988 to March 1989. She also attended the international training course on aquaculture and extension in Israel in June-July, 1993.

In recognition of her dedicated and meritorious contributions to fisheries, Ms. Naret received, among others, the following awards:

1. International Publication Award for 2006 for research paper entitled: Comparison of fatty acid profile between cultured and wild caught grouper Epinephelus cioides. In Aquaculture Science 53(2):127-134 (2005)

2. Outstanding Professional Jubilarian Award in the Field of Fisheries, July 23, 2004 given by the UP Alumni Association (UPAA) Iloilo Chapter.

3. Chancellor's Award for the Most Outstanding Research, Extension and Professional Staff (REPS) given by the UPV on July 25, 2003.

4. 2004 Most Outstanding CFOS Research, Extension and Professional Staff (REPS), July 2, 2004, UPV-CFOS 60th Foundation Day.

5 .International Publication Award for 2003 given on March 17, 2004 for her research paper entitled: Performance of indigenous protein sources as diets for tilapia under laboratory condition. This was published in Fisheries Science, vol. 68, Supplement 1, pp. 797-800.

6. UPV Service Award for 25 years of service, given on July 25, 2003.

7. Platinum award given by UPV Employees Cooperative in February 2005.
Ms. Naret is also a member of Asian Fisheries Society, and of the National Research Council of the Philippines.

Her publications include the following:

1. Naret, E. S. G., Koshio, S. Teshima, S. and Ishikawa, M. 2005. Utilization of solvent extracted soybean meal in pelleted feed for Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). UPV J. Nat. Sci. 10(1):9-16.

2. Toledo , JD, Naret, E.S.G., Nakagawa, H. 2005. Comparison of fatty acid profile between cultured and wild caught grouper, Epinephelus coioides. Aquqculture Science 53(2):127-134.

3. Naret, E.S. G., Koshio, S., Teshima, S., Ishikawa, M. 2005. Performance of indigenous protein sources as diets for tilapia under laboratory condition. Fisheries Science 68 Supplement I, pp. 797-800.

4. Naret, E.S.G. 2002.Performance of young sea bass (Lates calcarifer) fry fed diets with fish silage. UPV J. Nat Sci. 4:32-40.

5. Naret, E.S. G. 1995. Effects of different protein levels on the growth, feed conversion and survival of sea bass (Lates calcarifer) in brackishwater ponds. In Proceedings of the Fourth Asian Fisheries Forum in Beijing , China , October 16-20, 1995.

6. Naret, E.S.G., Fermin, A. C. 1994. Effect of delayed feeding of Artemia salina and partial replacement of Moina macrocopa on growth and survival of sea bass, Lates calcarifer (Bloch) larvae. Israel Journal of Aquaculture-BAMIDGEH 46 (1):48-52.

7. Naret, E.S. G., Catedrilla, L. 1994. Culture of Siganus guttatus in brackishwater ponds. Philippine Scientists 31:58-66.

8. Naret, E. S. G. 1991. Effect of supplementary diets containing various levels of protein on the growth and survival of Siganus guttatus in ponds planted with lumut. Fisheries Research Journal of the Philippines 16(1-2):15-21.

9. Naret, E. S. G. 1990. Effects of incorporating farmyard manures on soil organic matter under submerged condition. Graduate Research Paper. Master of Agriculture. West Visayas State University , 2nd semester 1990.

From a Research Assistant in 1978, Ms. Naret now works as a University Researcher III at the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of the Philippines in the Visayas, Miag-ao, Iloilo.

She now resides in Miag-ao, Iloilo with her husband, Jose Naret of Miag-ao, Iloilo , and their four children: Ma. Ellen Rose, Jlyn, Joe Carlo, and JC Vincent.