Senator Cynthia A. Villar is pushing for the establishment of more legislation to beef up the country’s fish hatcheries.
Villar, chairperson of Senate committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform, on Monday, led the hearing on 11 House Bills and one Senate Bill which seeks to build additional fish hatcheries. In 2020, the total production volume of fishing in the Philippines amounted to approximately 4.4 million metric tons.
In the same period, the overall production value of fishing in the country reached approximately P273.5 billion.
The fishing industry contributes 1.2 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Products (GDP) at current prices which is about P228 billion.
Villar emphasized that hatcheries provide the seed for aquaculture and where some fish and shellfish are spawned, hatched, and cared for.
Aquaculture contributes significantly to the country’s food security, employment, and foreign exchange earnings. Aquaculture is growing much faster than capture fisheries.
According to the reports the volume of fry produced by the Philippines milkfish or bangus broodstock continues to lag behind demand, resulting in the importation of as much as 70 percent of the national requirement. In 2020, fisheries production volume decreased by -0.3, according to statistics released by the PSA.
“Fish is the country’s second staple food next to rice. On average, every Filipino consumes daily 98.6 grams of fish and fish products. The average Filipinos derive 22.5 percent of their annual food intake from fish products, a quarter of their daily diet,” she said.
“Strengthening our fishing industry through the establishment of multi-species marine hatcheries nationwide can provide additional income opportunities to fisherfolks by providing sustainable fish source which will promote for healthy and affordable food for the rest of the population,” Villar said.
She further stated that a multi-species hatchery facility will further strengthen aquaculture development and further enhance seafood production.
The authors of the House Bills together with the mayors assured Villar that they have complied with the initial requirement for the establishment of the 11 hatcheries such as the feasibility study and a tenurial instrument of the site for it will be established.
BFAR Director Eduardo Gongona promised the completion of the 37 legislated hatcheries until the end of 2022 and reported that they have provided funds for their construction. He also said a hatchery would have only cost the government P20 million each to construct.
Dan Baliao, the current Chief of the Aquaculture Department (AQD) of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) in Iloilo
said that the country needs to put up more of these facilities to meet the needs of the country for the development of aquatic food sources.