The Department of Agriculture (DA) plans building specialized breeding facilities and equipment helping address the relative lack of supply of the short finned pompano variety in the country.
According to the DA, local fishermen caught only 457 metric tons of the popular fish variety in 2022, which was a mere 3 percent of the 16,004 tons imported from overseas suppliers. He encourages the private sector to help boost local production of the fish.
This developed when Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and officials of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) visited Santeh Feeds Corporation’s Silaguin Bay Fish Farm in Zambales last week.
Laurel noted the company’s floating sea cages contain thousands of imported fry of short-finned pompano being raised there to help reduce fish imports and provide a healthier protein source for consumers and possibly even export opportunities for local fishermen.
Laurel said Santeh has proven successful in its aquaculture project and its venture in sync with government goal of expanding the country’s mariculture parks and encouraging various fishery projects across the country.
Laurel said the government is prepared to extend assistance, from production to post-harvest to marketing, to ensure the envisioned pompano culture in the country succeeds.
He noted the Silaguin Bay Fish Farm has 44 floating cages producing 3 to 4 tons of pompano at each harvest.
Laurel said it takes around nine months to culture pompano. Pompano weighing 500 grams are sold in local markets while larger ones of up to 800 grams are exported.
