ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. is eyeing an institutional partnership with the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center-Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC-AQD) to maximize the province’s aquaculture production.
Defensor was the keynote speaker during the recent kickoff of the 50th anniversary celebration of SEAFDEC-AQD in Tigbauan town.
The governor, SEAFDEC-AQD chief Dan Baliao, Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban, and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region 6 director Remia Aparri also led the inauguration of two new facilities – the Black Tiger Shrimp Broodstock and Milkfish Larval Rearing.
“We want to pursue institutional relations with SEAFDEC as host province. Diri naton i-angut kon paano maka-benefit ang aton ordinaryo nga mga mangingisda,” said Defensor.
For one, the governor noted that the province is planning for a localized research and development program together with state universities and colleges, and he invited SEAFDEC to be a part of it.
“Iloilo is an agricultural province. We want to maximize our agricultural production and that includes fisheries and aquaculture. In the process, we want to create a value chain in our agricultural products so that we can generate employment and business opportunities for the agri-tourism industry of the province,” the governor said.
Meanwhile, as to the Shrimp Broodstock Facility, Bilbao said it is part and parcel of SEAFDEC’s objective to help revive the tiger shrimp (sugpo) industry in the country through Oplan Balik Sugpo.
Despite its popularity, sugpo production was only 42,452.94 metric tons in 2020 – a fraction of what it used to produce.
The facility was also established to address the problem in virus-infected shrimp spawners.
By providing a biosecure environment where tiger shrimp can mature, SEAFDEC-AQD can mass produce disease-free broodstock that can produce up to 80 million high-quality postlarvae a year which translates to a potential 2,160 tons of market-size tiger shrimp.
The Milkfish Larval Rearing Facility, on the other hand, with four 500-ton broodstock tanks, is expected to boost the department’s production of fish fry to supply farms.
Its projected annual production is 320 million eggs and 256 million larvae annually while the 12 larval rearing tanks and 12 natural food tanks are expected to produce 10.8 million to 18 million fish fry per year.
“We are extending this technology to the private sector who are into the business. We have the training division that enjoins them to attend to our seminars on practical and lectures in this kind of technology. We can also go outside, do onsite training where the farmers do the technology,” said Bilbao./PN
