PHILIPPINES - Copious locations appropriate for growing abalone make Mindanao a prime location for the industry to thrive, said an aquaculture expert cited by the newly formed Mindanao Development Authority.
"Mindanao could... produce a lot of abalone due to favorable sites, weather, and availability of seaweeds," said Vincent Encena II, an abalone specialist from the research and development institution Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Centre Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC-AQD) in Tigbauan, Iloilo.
Misamis Oriental, Surigao del Sur, Tawi Tawi and Sulu, where wild abalone stocks are found, are potential farm sites. Siargao Island, Sarangani and General Santos City are also the main potential areas for abalone growing and processing, he said, Business World reports.
The tropical abalone species found from Southern Japan to northern Australia is the donkey’s ear abalone, Haliotis asinina.
Encena said canned abalone is a prime preferred product in the Chinese market -- the biggest market abalone market in the world. Each can goes for PHP 750 – PHP 800 (USD 16.21 – USD 17.29) in the local market and higher internationally.
Encena said that while a container load of canned tuna is valued at USD 40,000, the same container load of canned abalone would fetch around USD 390,000.
Still, wild stocks in the Philippines are declining due to unregulated harvesting, so abalone must be farmed to supply the processing industry, he said.
Since most tuna canneries in General Santos are not operating at full capacity, a processing line for abalone can be added to them, he said. This way, overhead on tuna canneries can be lowered and a high-value canned product other than tuna produced.
"Mindanao must conduct a more thorough assessment of sites with potential for abalone culture," he told.
Encena added that the potential abalone farming locations contain abundant seaweed – abalone’s staple feed.
Average abalone production capacity of the identified sites in Mindanao ranges from 10-50 tonnes annually, Encena said.
But commercial-scale abalone hatchery and commercial-scale abalone demo-farm must be founded first. Also, value-added abalone meat products should be examined, he continued.
The country exports frozen abalone to Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.
Encena said the global abalone market is now worth about USD 1 billion. (from: www.fish.com)
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
