The Philippine Department of Agriculture (DA) is confident that the country will achieve its target volume of fish supply to 5.7 million tonnes next year due to anticipated increase of aquaculture production of tilapia, shrimps, seaweeds and other high-value marine species.

Of this target, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) expects 2.8 million tonnes to come from aquaculture; 1.6 million tonnes from municipal fishing; and 1.3 million tonnes from commercial fishing.

Agriculture secretary Arthur Yap said the BFAR will also build more mariculture parks and multi-species hatcheries in selected areas nationwide, in addition to existing hatcheries in Tawi-Tawi, Palawan and the Visayas.

For this year, the DA is bullish that fisheries production will grow by 10 percent despite the havoc wrought by a number of typhoons in major fish-producing areas. Typhoon Frank alone has already caused billions of pesos in damage to the fisheries sector in the Visayas.

Earlier, the DA said shrimp production will play an important role in boosting fisheries production this year.

In 2007 production of the fisheries subsector grew by 6.8 percent to 4.7 million tonnes.