The carbon footprint of aquaculture in the Philippines remains underexplored, and the data on species-specific emissions across various aquaculture systems are limited. This study evaluates the carbon footprint of African catfish production in recirculating tank and pond systems through a cradle-to-gate approach. Greenhouse gas emissions were quantified for each phase of fish culture, including facility establishment, production, harvesting, packaging, and distribution. This study showed that catfish farming in a recirculating system with a stocking density of 45 kg m-3 and a cropping frequency of 2 cycles per year generated 12.04 kg CO2 eq kg LW-1 or 5.01 ton CO2 eq yr-1. In contrast, the pond system with a stocking density of 10 kg m-3 and the same cropping frequency produced an average of 2.80 kg CO2 eq kg LW-1, or 17.7 tons CO2 eq yr-1. The production phase was the largest contributor to the overall carbon footprint in both systems, with electricity comprising 75% of emissions in the recirculating tank system and fish feed accounting for 93% in the pond system. Moreover, the scenario used to evaluate the impacts of energy consumption and fingerling delivery logistics on the farm’s overall carbon footprint indicated a reduction in emissions by about 76% by switching to solar energy and utilizing locally produced fingerlings. These findings provide a viable approach to mitigating the environmental impact of African catfish farming in the Philippines.
