Fish Amino Acid (FAA) as we all know is one of the most promising biofertilizer used in organic agriculture. It was made fermenting fish by-products using sugar. This literary work was made to provide a deeper understanding of this concoction.

1. UNDERSTANDING FISH AMINO ACID
Fish Amino Acid (FAA) as we all know is one of the most promising biofertilizer used in
organic agriculture. It was made fermenting fish by-products using sugar. This literary work was
made to provide deeper understanding to this concoction.
HISTORY
The Native Americans (16th century) showed the pilgrims how to use “fish fertilizer” for
growing their corns (indianriverorganics.com/history). And Levine (1987) said that theres
sufficient evidence that Indians did manure their fields with fish. Records shows that the term “fish
emulsion” was already used just before 1950s and it can be considered as the earliest form of Fish
Amino Acid (Hawaii Orchid Society, 1949). One of the first records of fish emulsion as a subject
for organic agriculture research was conducted by Buma (1977). USDA Study Team on Organic
Farming (1980) enlisted fish emulsion as part of organic farming. Wyatt and McGourty (1990)
classified different forms of fish emulsions and one is "composted by-products", defined as a
relatively new method of treating marine by-products with a bulking agents and requires addition
of some water. The new method of making fish emulsion was done by adding water to fish craps
and fermenting it for several weeks, the problem was the odor it produces.
(ECHOcomunity.org,1990). Cho and Koyama (1997) made the first literary work that used the
term “Fish Amino Acid” or FAA. Itwas a part of Korean Natural Farming method that is invented
by Cho Han Kyu in 1960s.
HOW TO MAKE
This is the formula made by Cho Han Kyu that was written by Reddy (2011). First fish is
cut into pices and put in a clay pot or plastic jar add sugar or molasses of an equal amount (1:1

2. weight ratio). Fill the jar up to 2/3 of its volume. Cover the opening of jar with a mosquito net.
The meat will ferment in 7 to 10 days. In the presence of fat on surface of the solution, put 2 to 3
tea spoons of IMO-3 to dissolve the fat. Extract the solution and use the liquid to crops. It is stated
that the concoction must be preserve in a temperature ranging 23 to 25oCand must kept away from
direct sunlight. FAA must be mixed with water in 1:1000 ratio, and can be applied on foliage or
soil.
Weinart et al.,(2014) of University of Hawaii published their own method of preparing
FAA. First fish waste is collected (head, bones, skin, fins, viscera) Weigh the fish waste and mix
with an equal amount of brown sugar. Select a fermentation container and place a layer of large
rocks at the bottom. Place a layers of fish by-product and brown sugar mixture on the rock layer
and cover with more brown sugar until conainer is full. IMO#4 and a little Oriental Herbal
Nutrients (OHN) is added to fasten the fermentation process . Cover the container with a breathable
cloth to keep out insects but allow aeration, and store out of direct sunlight in a cool, well-
ventilated location secured from animals. After approximately 3 to 5 days, the fish waste will begin
to break down and liquefy through fermentation and the osmotic pressure generated by the addition
of brown sugar. However, the process takes 2 to months to complete, producing mature FAA that
is ready to use. FAA, when completely fermented, will have a sweet, slightly fishy odor. Decant
or pour off only the liquid portion from the fermentation container to use as FAA. The remaining
solids can be used to make IMO#5 or placed in your compost pile. Do not apply FAA if plants are
at the reproductive stages of their production cycle when flowering or fruiting is desired. FAA is
also diluted with water (1:1,000)

3. RESEARCH STUDIES
El-tarabily, Nassar, Hardy, and Sivasithamparan (2002) conducted a research on
commercial fish emulsion, and they found presence of rhizobacterias that were capable of
producing Plant Growth Regulators (PGR) and how fish emulsion can be used as a nutrient base
for this beneficial microorganism. They said that fish emulsion was able to support growth of
radish (Raphanus sativus L. var. sativus) in a sandy soil as effectively as an applied inorganic
fertilizer.
Abassi, Lazarovits and Jabaji-Hare (2009) detected major organic acids in fish emulsion,
including some known toxicants such as glycolic, acetic, formic, n-butyric and propionic acids.
They concluded that fish emulsion’s organic acids played a major role in pathogen or disease
suppresion in fish emulsion.
Abassi (2011) said that FE is an excellent model system for development of an organic
amendment as fertilizer with disease suppresing effects. As a pre-plant soil amendment, Fe does
have suppresing capabilities against damping-off and can reduce potato scab. It can also protect
eggplants from verticillium wilt and increase biomass. And lastly, reduce bacterial spot on
tomatoes and peppers and increase fruit yield.
Ngaloy (2013) studies revealed no improvements attributed to the inclusion of FAA in
terms of initial weight, final weight, gain in weight, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, feed
cost per kilogram gain in weight and dressing percentage of the broiler chickens.
DISADVANTAGE
There are still chemicals used in making commercial fish emulsions. This is based on an
interview with Bill Ginn, marketing coordinator of Alaska Fish Fertilizer. The reason is that these

4. chemicals are used as additive (for example the prevention of exploding bottles). And if 1% by
weight of fish emulsion is synthetic, it still can be considered as Natural Organic.
(http://www.rainyside.com/resources/fishfert.html)
Organic fish emulsion fertilizers are sometimes problematic because they may contain high
levels of mercury (organicconsumers.org/old_articles/foodsafety/fertilizer062303.php)

5. RESOURCES
El-Tarabily, K.A., Nassar, A. h., Hardy, G. E. St. J., and Sivasithamparam, K. (2003). Fish
emulsion as a food base for rhizobacteria promoting growth of radish (Raphanus sativus L.
var. sativus) in a sandy soil. Netherlands. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Abbasi, P. A., Lazarovits, G., and Jabaji-Hare, S. (2009). Detection of high concentrations of
organic acids in fish emulsion and their role in pathogen or disease suppression.
Phytopathology 99:274-281.
Hawaii Orchid Society (1949). Hawaii Orchid Society Yearbook 1949. Retrieved from
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=kPVIAAAAYAAJ&q=%22fish+emulsion%22&d
q=%22fish+emulsion%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjLmrGC6ubXAhXBErwKHSv
lA2wQ6AEIeDAU
Buma, D. R. (1977) CONTAINER PLANTS: A COMPARISON OF ORGANIC AND
INORGANIC FERTILIZERS. Newark, Delaware. University of Delaware
USDA Study Team on Organic Farming (1980). REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON
ORGANIC FARMING. Washington, USA. United States Department of Agriculture
Levine, R. (1987). Indiane, conservation, and george bird grinnell. American Studies, 28(2), 41-
55. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40642210
Abassi, P. A. (2011). Exploiting and Understanding Disease Suppressing Effects of Fish Emulsion
for Soil-borne and Foliar Diseases. Ontario, Canada. Global Sciences Books.
Wyatt, Bruce and McGourty, Glenn (1990). Use of Marine By-products on Agricultural Crops.
Anchorage, Alaska. Alaska Sea Grant Program

6. ECHOcommunity.org(1990). FERTILIZERS. Retrieved from https://echocommunity.site-
ym.com/resource/resmgr/a_to_z/azch6fer.htm#Howt
Cho, Han Kyu and Koyama, Atsushi (1997). Korean Natural Farming: Indigenous
Microorganisms and Vital Power of Crop/Livestock. Korea. Korean Natural Farming
Reddy, Rohini (2011). Cho's Global Natural Farming. Tirupati, India. South Asia Rural
Reconstruction Association
Weinert, E. , Miller, S.A., Ikeda, D. M., Chang, K. C. S., McGinn, J. M., and DuPonte, M. W.
(2014). Natural Farming: Fish Amino Acid. Manoa, Hawaii. College of Tropical
Agriculture and Human Resources.