04 October 2005
Dagupan to go into fish caging ventures
By SHEILA HORTALEZA-AQUINO
CITY Mayor Benjamin S. Lim is now setting his sights on the fish cage industry in the city and the upgrading of production of fishponds as part of the city government’s vision to ensure the sustainability of the river system while increasing fish production.
The ongoing dredging operations, which can deepen the city’s rivers, should now make viable the operations of fish cages, City Agriculture Officer Emma Molina said, following a study tour by city officials and local fish farm owners in Taiwan last September 21 to 25.
Molina said the city agriculture office will conduct a research on sea cage culture through the use of Philippine technology next year to jumpstart the program.
Fish caging will involve the production of high value marine fish in the main river areas, such as zones 1 and 2, she said.
Molina said the cooperation among the Taiwanese people was a key factor in the success of fisheries and aquaculture industry of that country.
“Taiwan sets its plans and priorities and focuses on research which makes the production and marketing of products successful,” she noted.
In Tainan, one of two counties the group visited, the other being Pintung, each municipality boasts of its own special product much like the ‘One Town, One Product’ project of the Department of Trade and Industry.
“Specialization of products allows the municipality to focus on its production, development and research,” Molina said.
Molina said the National Pintung University of Science and Technology is willing to accommodate scholars from Dagupan while the International Fund for Development Cooperation (IFDC) can be a source of fund.
The mayor is interested in the IFDC’s short-term courses on agriculture, agribusiness, aquaculture, bio-sciences and bio-technology, which can be used for planning the development of Dagupan,” Molina said.
Some of Taiwan’s commodities are grouper, saline tilapia and bangus while shellfish, like hard clam, oyster, abalone, crabs, tuna, shrimps, and prawns are cultured.
Fishermen associations like the Taiwan Aquaculture Development Association and the Long Diann Marine Bio-Technology Company work more like cooperatives, according to Molina.
“These cooperatives have their own specialty with regards to bangus production from breeding, hatchery, fingerlings production, culture processing or marketing of bangus,” she said.
Molina said Mayor Lim wants to develop the city’s 1,000-hectare fishponds through the use of Taiwan’s modern technology since most of the local fishponds do not produce much unlike fishponds.
She said the mayor is considering adopting as a son of Dagupan City Dr. Ching-Ta (Ted) Chuang, a director and professor of the Institute of Marine Resource Management of the National Taiwan Ocean University so that he can extend help to us on research and many others.
Among the other municipal officials who joined the trip were San Fabian Mayor Mojamito Libunao, Jr., Dasol Mayor Angelita Jimenez and Binmaley Councilor Leo Urmaza.
“Dasol is considered the seaweeds center in Pangasinan and in Region 1, much like Taiwan, which also produces seaweeds, so Mayor Jimenez can communicate with the research institutions in Taiwan or send trainees there,” Molina said.
Libunao and Urmaza can work closely with Dagupan since their municipal resources are typically similar with that of Dagupan and the city’s and town’s river systems are interconnected.
CITY Mayor Benjamin S. Lim is now setting his sights on the fish cage industry in the city and the upgrading of production of fishponds as part of the city government’s vision to ensure the sustainability of the river system while increasing fish production.
The ongoing dredging operations, which can deepen the city’s rivers, should now make viable the operations of fish cages, City Agriculture Officer Emma Molina said, following a study tour by city officials and local fish farm owners in Taiwan last September 21 to 25.
Molina said the city agriculture office will conduct a research on sea cage culture through the use of Philippine technology next year to jumpstart the program.
Fish caging will involve the production of high value marine fish in the main river areas, such as zones 1 and 2, she said.
Molina said the cooperation among the Taiwanese people was a key factor in the success of fisheries and aquaculture industry of that country.
“Taiwan sets its plans and priorities and focuses on research which makes the production and marketing of products successful,” she noted.
In Tainan, one of two counties the group visited, the other being Pintung, each municipality boasts of its own special product much like the ‘One Town, One Product’ project of the Department of Trade and Industry.
“Specialization of products allows the municipality to focus on its production, development and research,” Molina said.
Molina said the National Pintung University of Science and Technology is willing to accommodate scholars from Dagupan while the International Fund for Development Cooperation (IFDC) can be a source of fund.
The mayor is interested in the IFDC’s short-term courses on agriculture, agribusiness, aquaculture, bio-sciences and bio-technology, which can be used for planning the development of Dagupan,” Molina said.
Some of Taiwan’s commodities are grouper, saline tilapia and bangus while shellfish, like hard clam, oyster, abalone, crabs, tuna, shrimps, and prawns are cultured.
Fishermen associations like the Taiwan Aquaculture Development Association and the Long Diann Marine Bio-Technology Company work more like cooperatives, according to Molina.
“These cooperatives have their own specialty with regards to bangus production from breeding, hatchery, fingerlings production, culture processing or marketing of bangus,” she said.
Molina said Mayor Lim wants to develop the city’s 1,000-hectare fishponds through the use of Taiwan’s modern technology since most of the local fishponds do not produce much unlike fishponds.
She said the mayor is considering adopting as a son of Dagupan City Dr. Ching-Ta (Ted) Chuang, a director and professor of the Institute of Marine Resource Management of the National Taiwan Ocean University so that he can extend help to us on research and many others.
Among the other municipal officials who joined the trip were San Fabian Mayor Mojamito Libunao, Jr., Dasol Mayor Angelita Jimenez and Binmaley Councilor Leo Urmaza.
“Dasol is considered the seaweeds center in Pangasinan and in Region 1, much like Taiwan, which also produces seaweeds, so Mayor Jimenez can communicate with the research institutions in Taiwan or send trainees there,” Molina said.
Libunao and Urmaza can work closely with Dagupan since their municipal resources are typically similar with that of Dagupan and the city’s and town’s river systems are interconnected.
