Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary William Dar led the inauguration of the new multi-species hatcheries and broodstock tanks in Iloilo on December 9, 2021.
Located at the Tigbauan Main Station of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), the newly-launched facilities were established between 2019 and 2021 in support of the DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)’s Bangus Fry Sufficiency Program.
The new aquaculture infrastructures aim to boost SEAFDEC’s demonstration and technology transfer programs to solve the shortage of aquaculture seeds in the Philippines by producing and distributing good quality seeds, and to become model facilities that can encourage hatchery business ventures in the country.
The four new broodstock tanks are home to about 400 milkfish breeders. On the other hand, the marine and freshwater hatcheries currently house milkfish fry, catfish, tilapia, and freshwater prawns, but are expected to include more species in the future.
The event also featured an exhibit of various fish species, crustaceans, feeds, tissue-cultured seaweeds, and other products from SEAFDEC’s multiple offices all over the country. (Photos by Gian Carlo Luague, DA-AFID)
