Balita.ph- January 11, 2012 11:35 pm
By Leonardo V. Micua

DAGUPAN CITY, Jan. 11 — A comprehensive development program for shellfish is set to kick off in Dagupan this month under the auspices of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), aiming to modernize the traditional backyard type of raising known by farmers in order to produce commodities in larger commercial scale and for export.

This was disclosed by Dr. Westly Rosario, chief of the National Integrated Fisheries Technology Development Center (NIFTDC), who submitted the program during a national conference of BFAR in Antipolo City last week.

Rosario said he is also going to submit the same proposal to the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) which may provide grants in the conduct of a more sophisticated research for the project.

Korea is being eyed as a major importer of shellfishes that will be produced in the Philippines.

Stressing that there is big money in oysters, mussels, scallops and other shellfishes but sadly this is not being given due attention in the country, Rosario said NIFTDC will spearhead the research on shellfish this year to find out the proper technology in raising the commodity in the country’s coastline.

However, there is a need for NIFTDC, the leading research facility of BFAR based in Dagupan, to first determine the most feasible areas in the entire coastline all over the country where shellfish farms can be located and where the modern type of culture now in use in other countries would be introduced.

The research said Rosario shall pinpoint areas where there is high concentration of heavy metals, which are a no-no for raising bivalves such as oysters, mussels and scallops.

On oysters, NIFTDC is eyeing to transport to its hatchery here the Talabang Tsinelas being raised in Cagayan and which grows up to the size of a man’s sandal when it matures.

The center will allow the Talabang Tsinelas to lay their eggs in hatchery condition to find out the best method of culture that can be adopted and soon disperse these to some coastal areas, starting in Pangasinan, to replace the present smaller specie in use.

“Through the research, we can help enhance shellfish culture and at the same time increase food for the Filipinos, provide livelihood for them and create new businesses that could also earn additional foreign exchange for the country,” he said.

On the other hand, he said that mussels have high export potential as the dried ones fetch up to P4,000 per kilo in China and Korea, of which this commodity is regarded as medicinal.

Thus there is a need to find the most appropriate technology in growing shellfish. Once it is found, it will be disseminated to the farmers through training programs to be conducted by NIFTDC's Asian Fisheries Academy.
Rosario tagged the towns of Bolinao and Anda as having the highest potential to produce green mussels in commercial quantity, throughout Pangasinan, yet only a few people are taking advantage of this.

These two towns are into aquaculture, producing milkfish, siganid (malaga), sea bass, grouper (lapu-lapu) and other species.

The other important reason the program was proposed, he revealed, is the natural capacity of shellfishes to clean rivers as these feed on plankton or microscopic plants and animals that are sometimes produced through pollution and from household and aquaculture wastes.

(PNA)LAP/LAM/Lvm/lvmicua/rma

Source: National research on shellfish to formally kick off in Dagupan