May 11, 2007

Livelihood potential of white shrimp in the Philippines cited

The co-habiting of white shrimp with bangus (milkfish) in some 250,000 hectares of fishponds in the country could translate to more than a million jobs and generate a potential US$1 billion in export earnings for the country, according to Philippine House Speaker Jose de Venecia.

This observation of De Venecia was based on the successful white shrimp and milkfish experiments conducted by Chinese fishery experts Joseph Huang and CJ Huang of Chen Chin Aquaculture Co., in the province of Pangasinan and Mindanao and Visayas regions for the past 18 months.

The speaker said the combined venture could increase fishpond entrepreneurs' annual income of P30,000 to P50,000 from bangus production to P300,000 up to P500,000 yearly when co-farmed with white shrimp.

De Venecia said the opening of Asian Fisheries Academy (AFA) in Dagupan City which to help, among other fishery cultures, the promotion of the "white shrimp revolution" in the country.

White shrimp can live in seawater, freshwater and brackish water and "loves to co-habit with bangus," he said.

The AFA, according to De Venecia, is 95 percent finished and could start its initial undertaking by July or August this year. It will host students from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and later invite students from foreign countries.