Governor Sadi-kul Sahali and MFC president William Lim have signed an agreement as Tawi-Tawi has leased its multi-species hatchery to sardine industry leader Mega Fishing Corporation (MFC). Now the hatchery will produce up to 400,000 fingerlings of grouper and 1.6 to 3.4 million abalone spats annually, will help to ensure a steady and sustainable supply of high-value marine species for grow-out by fish farmers selling to Asian markets.
It is said that the hatchery-bred young will be purchased by approximately 1,000 growers in Tawi-Tawi and nearby areas, including former combatants of the Moro National Liberation Front who have been assisted by USAID’s Growth with Equity in Min-danao (GEM) Program to become mariculture farmers. It is also expected that the hatchery will help prevent the depletion of various commercial marine species in the Sulu archipelago, as local growers will no longer have to rely on catching young fish in the wild for grow-out, in order to meet market demand.
Tawi-Tawi hatchery was turned over by the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to the provincial government last month. The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, and the GEM Programme have assisted the hatchery.
