AQUACULTURE

History

The Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Division (IFAD) started as the Division of Fish Culture and Fisheries Biology when the Bureau of Fisheries was formally organized under Fisheries Administrative Order No. 1 on July 1, 1947 pursuant to Republic Act No. 177.

Section 4 of Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. 1 s.1947, provides that the Division of Fish Culture and Fisheries Biology shall take charge of the activities of the Bureau with regard to fish culture and propagation, fisheries biology and fisheries conservation.

With the creation of the philippine Fisheries Commission under Republic Act No. 3512 on March 20, 1963, the Division of Fish Culture and Fisheries Biology was expanded into two (2) major divisions: the Estuarine Fisheries Division and Freshwater Fisheries Division under the Fisheries Research and Technology and Fish Propagation Division.

On May 17, 1974, the Fish Propagation Division was one of the 14 divisions created under P.D. No. 704 to carry out efficiently the functions of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources under the said decree. It consisted of five (5) sections: Freshwater Fisheries Section, Brackishwater Fisheries Section, Water Pollution Section, Seafarming Section and Commercial Fisheries Section.

When BFAR was converted from a line to a staff Bureau under Executive Order No. 116 on January 30, 1987, the Fish Propagation Division was renamed as the Aquaculture Division and was reduced to four (4) sections: Freshwater Section, Brackishwater Section, Mariculture section and Fish Health Section.