Imports would be limited to disease-free stocks and post-larvae black tiger shrimps. The imports would help domestic production and eventually allow the Philippines to resume shrimp exports, the department said.

 

Only shrimp hatcheries accredited by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will be allowed to import, it said.

 

Pacific white shrimp hatcheries will be allowed to import black tiger shrimps as long as they put up separate facilities that will breed and produce fry.

 

Fisheries assistant director Gil Adora said the high selling price of black tiger shrimps in the domestic market would encourage local growers to expand production.

 

Black tiger shrimps sell for PHP700 to PHP800 (US$15.2 to US$17.4) a kilogramme, while Pacific white shrimps are bought for about PHP300 to PHP400 (US$6.53 to US$11) a kilogramme.

 

The Philippines was among the top three producers and exporters of shrimps in the world in the early 1990s, but diseases led to the collapse of its shrimp industry. The country slid to 10th place in 2003 in shrimp production, overtaken by countries like Mexico, Brazil, Vietnam and Bangladesh. Domestic production declined further as the local industry succumbed to shrimp viruses that nearly wiped out stocks.