JDV to help SEAFDEC acquire P10M equipment
By Maricar M. Calubiran
Correspondent

Inspite of the political turmoil in the country, Speaker Jose de Venecia vowed to help the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) Aquaculture Department (AQD) to acquire some P10 million worth of facilities for the shrimp broodstock development.

Dr. Rolando Platon, SEAFDEC's Aquaculture department chief said the facility is important in the program which the department is currently pursuing. The department's current budget is not enough to buy such facility for its stock enhancement initiatives. Among those programs which the department is currently following aside from the shrimp broodstock development are the mud crab seed production and fish seed production which includes grouper, snapper and siganid.

De Venecia was in Iloilo last week as guest of honor for the Regional Technical Consultation on Stock Enhancement of Species under International Concern of SEAFDEC. The consultation was attended by 55 participants composed of representatives from the Philippines, Indonesia, Lao PD-Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan.

Platon said the SEAFDEC-AQD provides sustainable aquaculture technologies for various commercially important species of finfish, shellfish and crustaceans to increase aquaculture production and improve the livelihood of fisher folk.

The SEAFDEC-AQD also provides technologies on the abalone integrated system, aquaculture for rural development and seaweeds culture. Recently, they turned-over eggs/trocophore larvae to the fisher folks of Manlot Island, Carles, and a town north of Iloilo. Abalone are also grown in marine cages at AQD's Igang Marine Station in Nueva Valencia, Guimaras.

Prior to the turn-over of abalone eggs, the SEAFDEC AQD also set up 16 fish cages stocked with grouper off Manlot Island last September 2004. It was part of the new project funded by the Australian Agency for International Development. The AQD technicians have trained two people from each barangay to learn adequate management and technical capability. Then, the AQD will recommend to AusAID for the complete turn-over of grouper cages to the recipients once they have shown adequate management and technical capability.

In his recent visit to Iloilo City, De Venecia was accompanied by Brett M. Decker, Export-Import Bank Senior Vice President, Office of Communications. Export-Import Bank specialized on loan guarantees, working capital, grants and environment sustainability technology. Decker, however said his visit has nothing to do with the P10 million shrimp broodstock development facility.