News

“Let us save our native catfish by conservation, management, breeding, and culture before it is too late. We must act immediately, and the future is now.”

By recycling excess nutrients that would otherwise have been released to the environment, a shrimp farm harvested almost 13 tons of shrimp worth P3.3 million (US$67,694) after just over 4 months of culture.

As part of the shrimp hatchery complex of SEAFDEC/AQD, a small facility has been serving to regularly quarantine and test incoming tiger shrimp spawners for viruses that plague shrimp farms.

Aquafarmers from Capiz province, dubbed “the seafood capital of the Philippines,” are feeling the sting of the pandemic as transport restrictions have driven down prices given the difficulties in distributing their milkfish, crab, and shrimp produce.

Dr. Koh-ichiro Mori wrapped up his stint as the outgoing Deputy Chief of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center/Aquaculture Department.

To help bolster the supply of seafood and sustain the development of the fish farming industry during a pandemic, SEAFDEC/AQD is fast-tracking the development of online training courses. Distance learning courses are conducted through online learning platforms, where participants can access lecture notes, instructional materials, activities, and even examinations.

Recognizing the importance of science and research for food security, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center/Aquaculture Department encourages students to pursue research in aquaculture while opening the doors of its laboratory facilities.

Sandfish is one of the most threatened tropical sea cucumbers because of its high price, reaching up to $1,600 per kilogram (approximately P80,800) when processed and dried into trepang or beche-de-mer which are used in exotic Asian cuisine and medicinal products.

Losses experienced by some crab farmers in the Philippines were traced to the very low survival of crablets that were misidentified as the popular king crab

High mortalities experienced by crab farmers in Capiz Province in the Philippines have been linked to the high turbidity of Panay River and poor quality of trash fish which is fed to the crabs.

Production and delivery of aquaculture seeds remain uninterrupted at SEAFDEC/AQD based in Tigbauan, Iloilo despite the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed in Iloilo and surrounding provinces.

Since December 2019 to February 2020, during otherwise zero-production-months, a total of 23 million good eggs were collected from the heated tank that contained 76 breeders. From these, almost 13 million normal larvae were hatched.

Improved feeding and water management helped them achieve higher survival, reaching as much as 10 percent from hatching to crablet sometime last year, which contributed to the hatchery’s production of over 650,000 pieces of crablets for 2019.

The quest for low-cost and eco-friendly aquafeeds received a boost with the recent US$30,800 upgrade of the feed mill of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) in Tigbauan, Iloilo.

Growing up to a foot long, three to a kilo, and with a taste very much likened to lobster and tiger shrimp, one would wonder why not more people in the Philippines are farming freshwater prawns.

The illumination is supposed to help the young pompano see their natural prey, mostly tiny crustaceans called copepods floating near the surface, allowing the fish to efficiently feed overnight; thus, improving growth and survival.

To prevent the entry of shrimp diseases, shrimp farmers are advised not to stock their ponds during cold months if their farms are not biosecurity-compliant or fully equipped to prevent the entry of shrimp diseases.

To enhance the capacity of local high school science teachers, a training on research methodology and technical writing was organized with funding support from the Government of Japan.

Thousands of collections including fish farmer-friendly materials, journal articles, and books produced by SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department (AQD) and written by its scientists are available online for free through AQD’s very own digital library.

A new species of mudworm, known to clean the soil in fishponds and an excellent source of protein for crustaceans, was recently identified and named after Iloilo, the province where its eggs were collected and hatched.