SEAFDEC/AQD Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center | Aquaculture Department
SEAFDEC/AQD inaugurated three facilities on 9 July 2026 at its Tigbauan Main Station, marking a PHP 87-million (USD 1.4 million) investment in research, production, and technology transfer efforts for whiteleg shrimp, giant freshwater prawn, and mangrove crab.
The PHP 50-million (USD 820,000) Whiteleg Shrimp Hatchery and Grow-out Complex is the largest of the three projects. It is designed to produce up to 60 million whiteleg shrimp postlarvae and about 24 metric tons of market-size shrimp annually.
It includes facilities for broodstock maturation, spawning, larval rearing, algal culture, and six circular concrete grow-out tanks—four with a capacity of 265 tons each and two with a capacity of 471 tons each.
Another major addition is the PHP 12-million (USD 200,000) giant freshwater prawn hatchery, which is projected to produce up to 1.7 million postlarvae annually. The facility is expected to increase the supply of quality seedstock for giant freshwater prawn whose aquaculture potential has long been constrained by the limited availability of seed.
“We want to increase the production of ‘ulang’ [giant freshwater prawn] because it is a promising commodity. However, we do not have a consistent supply of seedstock,” said SEAFDEC/AQD Chief Dan Baliao.
Completing the expansion is the PHP 25-million (USD 410,000) mangrove crab hatchery, which has an annual production capacity of up to 1.4 million crab instars. The facility further expands SEAFDEC/AQD’s capability to supply seedstock for another high-value aquaculture commodity for which quality seed remains limited.
Philippine investment
Representing Philippine Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Agriculture Undersecretary for Fisheries Drusila Esther Bayate said the new hatcheries demonstrate the government’s continued investment in science-based aquaculture development.
“More than new facilities, they are strategic investments in the future of Philippine aquaculture,” said Bayate, who also serves as the Philippines’ Council Director to SEAFDEC.
In 2025, the Philippine Government provided P350 million in funding support to SEAFDEC/AQD, representing 59 percent of its total funding for the year.
She added that the hatcheries will serve as centers for research and innovation by advancing breeding techniques, aquatic animal health, biosecurity, and other science-based technologies. They will also serve as training hubs for hatchery operators, fish farmers, extension workers, researchers, students, and local government personnel to promote the wider adoption of modern aquaculture practices.
Infrastructure modernization
Baliao said the projects form part of SEAFDEC/AQD’s infrastructure modernization program, launched in 2018 to rehabilitate aging structures and transform underutilized areas of the Tigbauan Main Station into productive hatcheries and operational support facilities. Since April 2026, the Department has rehabilitated or constructed 12 facilities, including the three hatcheries inaugurated during its 53rd anniversary celebration.
“Constructing these facilities required significant investment, but if this is what is needed to stimulate aquaculture development in the country and across Southeast Asia, then it is money well spent,” Baliao said.
He stressed that SEAFDEC/AQD will continue investing in facilities that strengthen aquaculture production, expand technology transfer, and support food security in the Philippines and the region.
The inauguration was attended by officials from the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, local government units, academic institutions, private-sector partners, and other stakeholders in the aquaculture industry.
