The country’s Sardines Capital just took a significant stride towards aquaculture development with the inauguration of the region’s first-ever government multi-species marine hatchery in Jose Dalman, Zamboanga del Norte on July 10, 2024.

Established through Republic Act No. 10859, the hatchery marks another significant legislative and technological investment under the Legislated Hatcheries Program of the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR).

Like its predecessors built in strategic locations nationwide, this collaborative project aims to enhance local aquaculture production by producing fry and fingerlings to benefit local fish farmers.

For the first few years, the Jose Dalman Marine Fish Hatchery will focus on milkfish fry production, expected to produce 12.5 million milkfish fry annually at 50% survival rate.

During the inauguration program, DA-BFAR Officer-in-Charge Isidro M. Velayo, Jr. highlighted the importance of reinforcing the province’s milkfish production through the operationalization of the hatchery.

“Why bangus? Because the technology is already available; we have lots of fishponds; we have more areas for development; that is why our primary commodity for this hatchery is bangus,” Dir. Velayo said, hopefully we can add more species so that the income potential will be maximized by us,” he added.

The hatchery’s production aims to provide the seed requirement for grow-out facilities like ponds and cages in the entire Zamboanga Peninsula, including the more than 200 milkfish cages operating in the different mariculture parks in the region.

With this new facility, local fish farmers would soon no longer need to source their supplies of fry and fingerlings from local wild fry gatherers, private hatcheries from other regions like the SOCCSKSARGEN, or even from traders selling imported fry from Indonesia. This is expected to result in lower fry costs, which mean lower operating capital, emergence of more grow-out areas, additional revenue for the local government unit, and more employment opportunities for the community.

In the next few years, this multi-species marine hatchery targets to diversify and produce 25 million milkfish larvae, 10 million pompano larvae, 2.7 million pompano fry, and 1.5 million mangrove crablets annually.

The Jose Dalman Marine Fish Hatchery was designed by the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) and built in partnership with the local government unit, which provided the 3,000sqm lot for the project.

During the first two years, the DA-BFAR Regional Fishery Office IX will manage the hatchery while providing technical skills through training and capacity building to local government personnel in preparation for the turnover of the hatchery to the local government unit of Jose Dalman.

Of the fifty-seven (57) multi-species hatcheries and other aquaculture facilities to be constructed nationwide under forty-one (41) Republic Acts passed during the 16th, 17th and 18th Congresses, the Bureau, to date, has completed a total of 26, while 21 are now under construction and 10 undergoing preliminary preparations including feasibility studies and procurement procedures.

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References:
BFAR Information and Fisherfolk Coordination Unit
Email address: ifcu@bfar.da.gov.ph
BFAR Regional Fishery Office IX
Email address: records.bfar9@gmail.com