ILOILO – The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) Aquaculture Department (AQD) in Barangay Buyuan, Tigbauan town recently inaugurated new multi-species hatcheries and broodstock tanks.
These tanks are large structures that have a rearing capacity of 2,000 tons. They can hold 400 milkfish breeders and can produce 320 million eggs in one year that can be distributed to at least six satellite hatcheries regionwide, according to Dan D. Baliao, chief of SEAFDEC/AQD.
Meanwhile, the multi-species marine fish hatchery can cater to a wide range of species from the black tiger shrimp or sugpo to the commodity that is rapidly gaining popularity among consumers, the pompano.
However, Baliao said the priority species right now is milkfish. The facility has a total rearing capacity of 160 tons.
The other facility is the multi-species marine hatchery which is built for freshwater species.
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.
“The total cost for these structures is estimated to be P23 million, but if that is the cost to provide utmost service to Filipinos and the whole SEA region and to catalyze the further development of aquaculture in the country then that would mean money well spent,” said Baliao.
He further emphasized that these facilities were built to intensify demonstration and
technology transfer programs of SEAFDEC/AQD as well as help address the aquaculture seed shortage in the country.
The new facilities, along with other support infrastructure, were constructed at SEAFDEC between 2019 and 2021.
Agriculture secretary William Dar, who led the inauguration, said the facilities were a big boost to aquaculture.
Dar noted that the use of biotechnology as a tool of science makes tough things possible.
He added that because of SEAFDEC’s engagement in science and technology for aquaculture, the country now has a good number of technologies that can be used not just for the Philippines but Southeast Asian countries.
“While we have the regional responsibility, it is important as well that you use the Philippines as a platform to create impact out of venues of technologies that we generate here in Iloilo. I believe that that partnership has to be forged strongly between SEAFDEC/AQD and the BFAR (Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources) including the National Fishery Research and Development Institute,” Dar said.
“I would like to see such research collaboration in terms of scaling up of all these generated technologies here in SEAFDEC,” added Dar./PN
