THE National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) said on Tuesday that modernized fish hatcheries will help raise the output and competitiveness of aquaculture.
“The modernization of hatcheries will elevate and transform the aquaculture industry into a more economically profitable, cost-efficient, and cost-effective operations,” NFRDI Executive Director Lilian C. Garcia said during a memorandum of agreement signing for its temperature-controlled hatchery project.
The NFRDI’s partners in the bangus (milkfish) hatchery project are the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Department of Science and Technology’s Metals Industry Research and Development Center.
She added that the project will jumpstart the mechanization and automation of hatcheries in the Philippines.
On the sidelines, Ms. Garcia said that the project’s objective is to increase the supply of bangus fry for growers.
“The current problem is that the production of fry has been affected by the seasons… through this project there will be a stabilization (of supply),” she added.
She said cooler parts of the year tend to reduce milkfish fry production.
The core of the project is a cost-effective and reliable heating system to keep water temperatures within optimal ranges in bangus hatchery tanks.
The NFRDI had selected the BFAR’s National Fisheries Development Center in Dagupan City as the site for the temperature-controlled hatchery.
“We chose Dagupan because… it is one of the big producers of bangus. The facilities there will be used to test the technology,” Ms. Garcia said.
She added that the modernized equipment will be offered to investors, private hatchery operators, and government hatcheries.
In the second quarter, bangus production declined 4.6% year on year to 78,125 metric tons, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. — Adrian H. Halili
