SEAFDEC/AQD harvests 3.65 tons of tiger shrimp under Oplan Balik Sugpo

A 110-day culture cycle at SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) yielded 3.65 metric tons of black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon), as part of efforts to revive the local shrimp industry through the “Oplan Balik Sugpo” program.

The harvest, carried out on 7–8 October 2026, was part of an ongoing study by Associate Scientist Dr. Edgar F. Somblingo at the research center’s Dumangas Brackishwater Station (DBS) in Iloilo.

The shrimp, locally known as “sugpo,” were raised in two ponds using a semi-intensive culture system. Each pond was stocked with 100,000 postlarvae at a density of about 20 shrimp per square meter. Pond 7 measures 5,299 square meters, while Pond 8 measures 5,161 square meters.

Pond 7 yielded 1,869 kilograms, with an average body weight of 22.25 grams, while Pond 8 produced 1,781 kilograms, with an average body weight of 22.27 grams. Pond 7 recorded an 84 percent survival rate and a feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 1.32, compared with the 80 percent survival and an FCR of 1.35 in Pond 8.

FCR measures the amount of feed needed to produce a given weight of shrimp, with a lower ratio generally indicating more efficient feed use. Total feed consumption was 2,467 kilograms in Pond 7 and 2,404 kilograms in Pond 8.

“The harvest provides an opportunity to evaluate pond performance under a semi-intensive culture system, where stocking density, feeding and other aspects of pond management are monitored to support shrimp growth,” said Dr. Roger Edward Mamauag, head of the SEAFDEC/AQD Technology Verification and Extension Division.

“Production data from activities such as this harvest help us assess shrimp performance and identify ways to improve culture practices in support of Oplan Balik Sugpo,” said SEAFDEC/AQD Chief Dan Baliao.

The Oplan Balik Sugpo program of SEAFDEC/AQD aims to revive the local black tiger shrimp industry by promoting environment-friendly and biosecure shrimp culture practices.