The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center/Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) has opened three new hatchery facilities in Tigbauan, Iloilo to help address the shortage of quality shrimp, prawn, and crab seed and strengthen the country’s aquaculture industry.
The facilities, inaugurated on July 9, include a white-leg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) hatchery and grow-out complex, a giant freshwater prawn (ulang) hatchery, and a mangrove crab hatchery. They are expected to increase the production of quality seed, support aquaculture research, and strengthen the fisheries sector.
The P50-million shrimp hatchery can generate up to 18 million post-larvae annually and has six circular grow-out tanks capable of producing about 36 metric tons of shrimp each year.
The P12-million giant freshwater prawn hatchery has the capability of producing 2.4 million post-larvae annually, while the P25-million mangrove crab hatchery can produce around 1.5 million crab instars every year.
Agriculture Undersecretary for Fisheries Drusila Esther Bayate said the new facilities are long-term investments that will support research on breeding, aquatic animal health, and biosecurity to help improve the country’s aquaculture industry.
She said the hatcheries will also serve as training centers for hatchery operators, fish farmers, researchers, students, extension workers, and local government personnel to promote the use of modern aquaculture technologies.
Bayate said the fisheries sector continues to face challenges brought by climate change, rising production costs, and aquatic diseases.
She added that the Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI), and SEAFDEC/AQD will continue working together to develop technologies that support sustainable aquaculture.
SEAFDEC/AQD Chief Dan D. Baliao said the giant freshwater prawn hatchery will help address the limited and inconsistent supply of quality seed, one of the industry’s major challenges.
Increasing the production of post-larvae, according to him, will support higher production and create more livelihood opportunities for farmers.
Baliao said the hatcheries are part of SEAFDEC/AQD’s infrastructure revitalization program launched in 2018 to modernize its facilities and maximize underutilized areas within the Tigbauan Main Station.
Since April, the department has completed several projects, including the Aquaculture Feed Mill Plant, which can produce up to five tons of aquafeeds daily—enough to support an estimated 780 metric tons of fish production annually.
Balilao said expanding the department’s research facilities and seed production capacity is important to increasing aquaculture production and supporting food security in the Philippines and across Southeast Asia. Pia Maleriado, WVSU-COC intern/IMT
