BFAR Sets up Industrial Aquaculture Centres

This brings total number of these industrial sized fish production facilities up to 40 across the nation.

The new marine-culture facilities were established along the coastlines of Magallanes town, which covers parts of the fishing grounds of Ticao Pass and Sorsogon Bay and Bacon district of this city at the southeastern shore of Albay Gulf, a report in the Business Mirror says.

The other mariculture parks in Luzon are in Santo Tomas, La Union; Casiguran, Aurora; Padre Burgos and Tagkawayan in Quezon; Looc, Romblon; San Jose City, Occidental Mindoro; Santa Cruz, Marinduque; Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro; and Ragay and Sangay in Camarines Sur.

In the Visayas the large fish production centres are in Talibon, Bohol; barangay Malahog, Calbayog City; Basey, and Quinapondan in Eastern Samar; San Jose, Santa Rita and Laoang in Northern Samar; Liloan, Southern Leyte; Batbatngon, Merida, Tacloban City and Ormoc City in Leyte; and Naval in Biliran.

Those in Mindanao are in Tungawan, Sibugay and Margosatubig, all in Zamboanga del Sur; Zamboanga City, Murcielagos, Rizal in Zamboanga del Norte; Balingasag, Misamis Oriental; Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte; Island Garden City of Samal; Panabo City, Davao del Norte; Mati, Davao Oriental; Surigao City and Dapa, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte; Barugo, Surigao del Sur; and Sibutu-Sitangkai, Tawi Tawi.

The oidea was first moved by BFAR five years ago and each of the parks includes a basic infrastructure with mooring systems in areas identified by marine technologists as ideal for fish farming.

Mariculture parks operate much like industrial estates on land, with investors setting up or renting fish cages to grow high-value marine species, such as bangus, lapu lapu, siganids, seaweeds and other high-value aquatic species, BFAR director Malcolm Sarmiento told Business Mirror.

Along with the LGU and other stakeholders, the BFAR organises the management council, and a development plan is laid out to ensure the health of the environment and sustainability of the venture.