Retired teacher ventures into aquaculture

Since June this year, Gus Flores has been busy with his newly discovered hobby: growing tilapia right in the backyard of his home in Fina Sisu.

“This is my first time to do this. I’m quite excited,” said Flores, a retired teacher from William S. Reyes Elementary School.

After more than two decades in the teaching profession, Flores retired in 1995, giving him more time to do what he has been wanting to do: spend more time at his farm.

Retirement years for him have been truly easy and comfortable, but he discovered that he is happier whenever he engages in projects.

So he added to his farming activity another responsibility: growing fish.

“This is my new project now,” he said, referring to his tilapia business.

Flores is a little shy to call it a business yet, insisting that it’s only a small operation.

But he delights over the fact that he already made a small harvest of tilapia two months ago.

“We sold some of them to friends,” he said.

If not for typhoon Nabi in August, he said he could have gotten more produce.

Flores has seven tanks located on the side of his house, which is adjacent to Northern Marianas College Saipan campus.

The tanks, which include breeding, spawning, and growing tanks, house a total of over 1,000 tilapias, including 600 baby tilapias.

He said he began his operation with only 300 baby tilapias from the NMC-Cooperative Research Educational Extension Services.

Flores said he spent between $1,500 to $2,000 to set up the needed infrastructure.

He grows both indigenous silver tilapia and red hybrid tilapia, which is also called cherry red snapper, on his backyard.

NMC earlier said red tilapias are more popular among local consumers because of its general appearance.

It said that unlike the silver tilapia’s grayish and muddy hue, the hybrid Tilapia “is more comely to the eyes because of its white and red color.”

The taste of both varieties is just the same.

Meantime, the teacher-turned-aquaculturist said that he also wants to branch out to shrimp growing.

If fact, Flores has already set up a shrimp tank next to his tilapia ponds.

“I’m getting more and more interested in shrimp growing,” he said.

Flores said he received technical assistance from NMC on both tilapia and shrimp farming.

He also received a lot of encouragement from businessman Anthony Pellegrino, who recently launched his own shrimp farm in China Town.

“I’m giving myself a shot in aquaculture. It’s farming after all, which is close to my heart,” said Flores.

Most importantly, Flores wants to enjoy his time close to his family, his son Benjamin and wife Becky.