BFAR-8 seeks SEAFDEC help on mangrove crab hatchery

BUREAU of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region 8 Director Juan Albaladejo sought the help of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center/Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) in Tigbauan, Iloilo to train BFAR trainors and potential investors on mudcrab hatchery.

With mudcrab hatchery, the impact of banning collection of crablet from the wild on Leyte and Samar crablet collectors will be minimized.

A hatchery is an artificial way to breed, hatch, and rear through the early life stages of fish and shellfish. It produces larval and juvenile fishes, shellfishes and crustaceans primarily to support the aquaculture industry.

The hatchery fries are then transferred to grow-out systems, either in ponds or in cages until they reach market size.

Demand for mud crab seeds for grow-out culture, especially softshell crab farming, has significantly depleted wild stock in Leyte and Samar. This prompted their provincial government to implement strictly the law prohibiting collection of crablets from the wild.

Foreseeing this problem, SEAFDEC/AQD has developed mudcrab hatchery technology.

Crabs are a widely sought-after fishery commodity globally and have provided livelihood to many not only in Samar and Leyte.

Recently, it was found out that early crab instars produced in the hatchery need to be grown further in the nursery to give good survival in the grow-out system for softshell crab farming.

Meanwhile, SEAFDEC/AQD is readying its facilities and stocks to extend technical support to BFAR trainors and hatchery-nursery technology adopters. The training is scheduled before the end of this month.