The Philippine Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) committed to completing 32 multispecies hatcheries next year to boost local aquaculture production.

“Our goal is to build an end-to-end support system for aquaculture and promote commercial fish farming to provide diversified sources of food fish and income,” DA Undersecretary for Fisheries, Cheryl Marie Caballero, told local news.

DA-BFAR will complete one multi-species hatchery and three mangrove crab nurseries in the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Catanduanes by the end of 2021. Under the Legislated Hatcheries Program, 37 hatcheries and aquaculture facilities will be established in the country. The program is part of one of the country’s key strategies to modernize the agri-fisheries sector through infrastructure investments.

New milkfish hatchery

DA-BFAR also unveiled a new multispecies marine hatchery in Perez, Province of Quezon. The completion of the first phase of construction amounted to PHP20 million ($397,000) while an additional PHP15 million ($297,000) will be spent for initial operation and maintenance of the current facility towards the second phase. The hatchery will produce 25 million milkfish fry annually. Designed in collaboration with the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center – Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD), the facility currently covers 1,500 square meters of the total 4,800 square meters of land allocated for the project, with potential future expansion to other species such as crabs and shrimp. The hatchery will also train students and farmers. 

Multi-species hatchery inaugurated

A PHP23-million ($458,000) hatchery was inaugurated at SEAFDEC/AQD in Tigbauan, Iloilo that is expected to boost the supply in Western Visayas. The facility will produce marine and freshwater species and milkfish. The marine hatchery is expected to produce 20 million milkfish fry, 5.5 million pompano fry, 14.4 million shrimp postlarvae and 2.5 million crab instars. The freshwater hatchery, with a production capacity of 40 tons, will be able to produce tilapia, catfish and giant freshwater prawn. The milkfish hatchery will have the capacity to produce 320 million eggs per year that can be distributed to satellite hatcheries regionwide.

“Having a new source of fry within the province offers several benefits for the local aquaculture community such as lower cost of fry, which also means lower operating capital for fish farmers, the emergence of more nurseries and grow-out areas, more revenue to the local government unit, and more opportunities for employment in the community,” DA-BFAR stated.

The hatchery in Perez is one of the ten projected hatcheries in the Fourth District of Quezon.

Photo source: SEAFDEC/AQD.