AQUACULTURE BOOST. Agriculture Secretary William Dar and Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) chief Dan Baliao (4th and 5th from left, respectively) cut the ribbon during the inauguration of the new broodstock and hatchery facilities in Tigbauan, Iloilo on Thursday (Dec. 9, 2021). The structures are expected to boost aquaculture production in the country. (PNA photo by Pearl G. Lena)
ILOILO CITY – The new PHP23-million broodstock and hatchery facilities at the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) in Tigbauan, Iloilo are expected to boost the supply of aquaculture in Western Visayas and the country as a whole.
The facilities composed of a multi-species marine hatchery, multi-species freshwater hatchery and milkfish broodstock tanks were inaugurated by Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar on Thursday.
In his message, SEAFDEC/AQD chief Dan D. Baliao said the structures would serve as model facilities for the multi-species hatcheries that will be built in the future under the "Fry Sufficiency Program” which they will undertake together with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
“These facilities were built to intensify demonstration and technology transfer programs of SEAFDEC/AQD, as well as, to help address the aquaculture seed shortage in the country,” he said.
The milkfish broodstock tanks have a rearing capacity of 2,000 tons that can hold 400 milkfish breeders. They are projected to produce 320 million eggs in one year that can be distributed to at least six satellite hatcheries regionwide.
“This will surely help in fry production now that SEAFDEC/AQD has unlocked continuous milkfish spawning even during colder months with simply using water heaters,” he said.
The multi-species marine fish hatchery targets species of milkfish, pompano, mangrove crab and shrimp with a total rearing capacity of 160 tons.
Annually, the hatchery is expected to produce 20 million milkfish fries, 5.5 million pompano fries, 14.4 million shrimp postlarvae and 2.5 million crab instars.
The multi-species marine hatchery, on the other hand, is built for freshwater species, Baliao noted.
“The multi-species freshwater hatchery, which has a rearing capacity of 40 tons will be able to produce the seeds of the tilapia, catfish, and the commodity that we are advocating for, the giant freshwater prawn,” he said.
Dar, in his speech, said the project will serve as "savior" when it comes to the country's fish requirement.
“Because of SEAFDEC engagement in science and technology for aquaculture, we now have a good number of technologies that can now be used not just for the Philippines but Southeast Asian countries,” he added.
Dar challenged the SEAFDEC to use the Philippines as a “platform to create impacts out of the various technologies that they generate in Iloilo”. (PNA)
