The Department of Agriculture (DA) has accredited four hatcheries in Luzon and the Visayas to breed and produce the Pacific white shrimp also known as Peneaus vannamei to help revive the once-robust Philippine shrimp industry.
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director Malcolm Sarmiento said the accredited hatcheries are located in Bohol, Cebu, Iloilo and Pangasinan. The owners of these hatcheries are Mar Uy from Bohol, Dodo Allegre from Cebu and Malou Jamandre from Iloilo.
The hatchery in Pangasinan is operated by the BFAR and is the central hatchery of P. vannamei.
Sarmiento said that as part of the strict measures ordered by Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, only pathogen-free broodstocks of vannamei are allowed to enter the country.
Thus, the BFAR only allows breeders from Honolulu and Florida in the United States.
“To broaden our aquaculture base, we have introduced vannamei in the market after subjecting this to a rigid impact risk analysis,” Sarmiento said.
Pacific white shrimp or P. vannamei has a hatchery survival rate of 50 percent to 60 percent and performs better in captivity than Peneaus monodon or Tiger Prawn.
P. vannamei also grows as fast as or even faster than P. monodon at up to 20 grams in size and has a lower dietary protein requirement, making it cheaper to culture.
Most shrimp farmers in Asia have switched to P. vannamei, making it the dominant shrimp species across the globe.
Stakeholders in the shrimp sector are counting on vannamei to revive the ailing industry and make shrimp more affordable to low-income Filipinos.
Shrimp producers have pegged the price of Pacific white shrimp at P150 to P200 a kilo in the local market, making this commodity, considered by most as a “luxury” food item, outside the reach of low-income Filipinos.
Yap said the fast-growing and easily cultured vannamei is expected to raise earnings of the shrimp industry, with production projected at four metric tons per hectare or a total of 20,520 MT.