What sells for P4,500 per kilo?
DAGUPAN CITY— The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is eyeing another potential moneymaker for fisherfolks. – sea cucumber.
Initial results of the experiment on the sea cucumber (Holothuria scabra) culture in hatchery show that a commercial size for this high-value species is possible.
Today, the sea cucumber’s population in the wild is fast depleting due to over extraction due to the high demand for their reported medical, pharmaceutical, gastronomical and commercial uses.
Sea cucumber, mostly from the wild, is one of the country’s top 10 exports since 2007, and dried sea cucumber commands an export price of P4,500 per kilo.
Dr. Westly Rosario, BFAR center chief, said the center continued working on sea cucumber until it was proven that its production in commercial scale in hatchery is possible. However, he conceded that survival rate of sea cucumber is very low at about only four percent.
The center first ventured into the culture hatchery in partnership with the World Fish and the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute in 2007. However, the collaboration did not last.
“Now we are able to produce for commercial purposes, we have attained the three-grammer size and we are more confident in raising it in different stages,” he said.
Raising it in hatchery in 50 to 60 days can produce the three-grammer size, Rosario said.
Sea cucumber, although high-value species, basically feeds on wastes. High saline rivers can be cleansed by this bottom-dweller species, like oysters, Rosario said.
“They are of big help in solving our problem on pollution in mariculture parks,” he added they are easy to manage because these are almost sedentary and can easily be transferred from one pond to another.
These can also be used for sea ranching purposes where they can be grown in hatchery then released in the wild and when they reach their sexual maturity size of 250 to 300 grams, these can harvested.
The BFAR center in Barangay Bonuan Binloc here has its own facility devoted solely on sea cucumber and the center plans to scale up its production next year. (Tita Roces)
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