Mega Aquaculture Corporation and Mindanao State University (MSU) in Tawi-Tawi are working together to advance research and development that will spark the hatchery cultivation of high-value species of abalone (inset photo) and grouper in the Sulu Archipelago. Assistance for this effort is being provided by USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program. According a memorandum of understanding witnessed by Governor Sadikul Sahali of Tawi-Tawi (foreground), and signed by Mega Aqua president/CEO William Lim (center) and MSU-TT chancellor Eddie Alih, the university will work together with the hatchery being managed by Mega in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, to improve the production of juveniles of selected high-value species, which will then be sold to local fish farmers, who will grow them to maturity in sea cages for eventual sale to Philippine consumers and Asian export markets. The partnership is expected to increase local livelihood opportunities while helping to conserve stocks of these high-value species in the wild. The minimum annual requirement of the Hong Kong and China markets for adult abalone is estimated at 1,000 metric tons, worth approximately US$14 million.
