The African swine fever threatening the protein supplies of the country still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the chief of an international research center to call for more youth to be involved in aquaculture. “Now, more than ever, is the time for our youth to engage in the efficient production of healthy protein through aquaculture,” said Dan Baliao, chief of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) based in Iloilo. Baliao said fish is more efficient to produce than even poultry, taking as little as 1 kilogram of feeds to produce 1 kilogram of fish. Yet, there are not enough skilled personnel to competently build and run fish farms in the country. Data from the Commission on …

    ROXAS City – To boost the local aquaculture industry, SEAFDEC/AQD Chief Dan Baliao said abandoned and underutilized hatcheries in the province should be rehabilitated to produce much-needed crablets and fish fry. He said this during a dialogue with local fish farmers who aired that there were not enough suppliers of crablets that they seed into their fishpond. “The problem here in Capiz is that our crablets come from Bicol, Sarangani, and Cagayan Valley. How about us here in Capiz?” asked Ma. Cristina Dyna Honrado, vice-chair of the Capiz Aquaculture Producers Cooperative. Other fish farmers acknowledged that while the SEAFDEC/AQD hatchery, based in nearby Iloilo, can supply crablets, the volume is still not enough, so they end up buying …

SEAFDEC/AQD is promoting a simple technology to address the perennial shortage of milkfish fry that continues to hound fish farmers in the Philippines during the colder months of the year.