Marine fish hatchery training course for the Philippines

7-27 April 2008

NACA is pleased to announce the first in-country marine fish hatchery training course for the Philippines. This training course is fully funded by the Australia Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) and is being undertaken in cooperation with the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre's Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD). The funding course will allow transfer of marine fish production technologies developed in the Philippines and Indonesia to Philippines hatchery operators to assist them to diversify their production into marine fish species, such as grouper. This diversification will allow small scale hatchery operators to switch between species in accordance to market demands.

The objective of the training course is to disseminate marine fish (including grouper) hatchery technologies that have been developed by various institutes and projects in the Asia-Pacific region. For example, the marine fish projects of the Australia Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR), Research Institute for Mariculture Gondol, the Technology Implementation Units of the Directorate General of Aquaculture (DGA), Indonesia, the Krabi Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Centre (CFRDC) of the DOF Thailand and SEAFDEC/AQD are syncronised for this training course. The training is focused on small-scale hatchery systems which can be used for multiple species, including barramundi / seabass and groupers. Although the technology is specifically developed for small-scale hatcheries, it can also be adopted by medium- and large-scale hatcheries.

The training course is jointly organized by NACA and SEAFDEC/AQD and will be conducted in Tigbauan and Guimbal, Iloilo. The overall training activities, both theory and hands-on practical will be conducted by the SEAFDEC/AQD. The application for the ACIAR funding is now opened and the deadline for submission of the application is 17 March 2008.

Target Groups

Participation will be limited to Philippines residents/citizens only. A total of 10 fully funded positions are available from ACIAR. Priority will be given to participants from the commercial/private sector in order to foster the development of commercial marine fish aquaculture in the Philippines. The main target groups are hatchery/nursery operators and technicians who are already involved in hatchery business/activities. Farmers and grow-out operators who are interested to venture into hatchery business are also welcomed. A limited number of candidates from government and R&D sectors will be provided with funding support if they meet the selection criteria. It is anticipated that the total number of candidates from government and R&D sectors would not be greater than two. Self funded participants from government and R&D sectors may be considered by the organizers to participant in the training course but places will be limited to a maximum of three.

Selection Criteria for ACIAR Funding Candidates

All the selected participants for ACIAR funding support should meet the following selection criteria:

  1. He/she must be currently working in brackishwater or marine aquaculture sector as farmer, hatchery/nursery/grow-out operator, technician or technical personal.

  2. He/she should have hand-on day-to-day works in the aquaculture production facilities.

  3. As the focus of this funding support is for commercial sector, private sector applicants will be given the priority.

  4. If the participant comes from government or R&D sector, preferably his/her age should not be more than 30 year old, and they should meet criterion No.2.

  5. No administrative staff will be considered under the funding as this is a technical training course designed to train technical personnel.

For a copy of the format and instruction for the application of the ACIAR Funding Support for the Marine Fish Hatchery Training Course in the Philippines, please contact SEAFDEC/AQD at aqdchief@seafdec.org.ph or APMFAN at grouper@enaca.org.

Events / training courses at AQD for 2008

Date

Venue

Events / Activities

01 – 14  April 2008

Philippines

Seaweed Aquaculture

23 April – 13 May 2008

Philippines

Abalone Hatchery and Grow-out  

20 May – 25 June 2008

Philippines

Marine Fish Hatchery 

10 June – 01 July 2008

Philippines

Crab Seed Production 

July – Nov 2008

  

Thru Internet

Distance Learning: Principles of Health Management in Aquaculture

January-December 2008 upon special arrangement or by request (between 5 to 37 days). Enquire from training@seafdec.org.ph

Philippines

Freshwater Aquaculture

Hatchery and Grow-out of Tilapia,
 Catfish, Bighead Carp and/or
 Freshwater Prawn

Brackishwater Aquaculture

Cage or Pond Culture of High-
 Value Species (Seabass,
 Grouper, Snapper)

Hatchery of Milkfish, Seabass,
 and/or Grouper
Detection of Viral Diseases by
 PCR

Click here for more information

AQD hosts emerging diseases workshop

AQD organized and convened the SEAFDEC International Workshop on Emerging Fish Diseases in Bangkok, Thailand on 6-7 December 2007. Seventy-one (71) attended, coming from 17 countries including all the SEAFDEC member-countries.

During the Workshop, the participants reviewed the status of emerging fish and shellfish microbial diseases in Southeast and East Asia; kept abreast of advances in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, epidemiology & surveillance of emerging microbial diseases; and discussed the future orientation of fish disease studies.

The results of the discussion will be reflected in the future research thrust of SEAFDEC's Regional Fish Disease Project. At the top of the list of concerns for sustainable production are secure seed supply and secure optimum rearing techniques.

As a related activity, the Project's study leaders from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and AQD met with representatives from the National Research Institute of Aquaculture, Fisheries Research Agency (Japan) and SEAFDEC Secretariat on December 5, also in Bangkok, for the Project's annual progress and planning meeting.

JSPS RONPAKU fellows meet at AQD

RONPAKU (dissertation PhD) fellows of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) who are based in the Philippines attended a forum discussing their scientific research initiatives so as to pave the way for possible networking and research collaboration. The forum was held December 18 at AQD in Iloilo and was organized by the Philippine Department of Science & Technology with the Philippine Society of JSPS RONPAKU Fellows. Of the 40 who attended and/or made presentations, nine (9) were fellows from AQD who are mostly working on food and biotechnology. The rest are conducting research in energy & environment and socioeconomics.

AQD trains 18 on freshwater prawn hatchery

Despite adverse weather conditions, AQD went ahead to Kalinga in northern Philippines to conduct the training course on Freshwater prawn hatchery and grow-out operations on November 27 to 29. Attended by 18 farmers, municipal agri & aquaculturists, and extension workers, the training was intended to develop the technical capability of BFAR – Cordillera staff, and was organized upon their request.

ICD-SA training sessions and consultations

Some 27-30 fisherfolk from Nueva Valencia, Guimaras attended the first three sessions of Milkfish cage culture, a season-long training course funded by Petron Foundation Inc. The first session held October 8-9 was on aquaculture practices; the second session, held November 16-17, focused on feed formulation & preparation and fish health management; and the third on December 19-20 was on cage maintenance. All three sessions were held at AQD's Igang Marine Station.

Thirty-six farmers aged 25-74 years old (26 men, 10 women) from three barangays in Dumarao, Capiz came to attend the first and second sessions of Freshwater aquaculture. The first session of this season-long training course was held November 14-15, and covered culture practices, community-based aquaculture, and the construction of floating cages. As the session 1 finale, the trainees stocked their cages with 3,000 pieces of tilapia, 3,000 prawn and 650 catfish. The second session on the other hand was held December 4-5, and covered feeds and water quality.

Meanwhile, for the two provinces in northern Luzon that are negotiating to be made part of ICD-SA, AQD's senior managers met with the various stakeholders, academic & government partners, and local government officials for consultation and initial site assessment. Dr. Clarissa Marte (division head of technology verification and demonstration), Mr. Renato Agbayani (division head of training & information), and Mr. Armando Fermin (program leader of the mollusc program) were in Baler, Aurora on October 22, and in Tuguegarao, Cagayan on October 24-25.

SEAFDEC's dream project on sustainable aquaculture has the main goal of empowering aquatic resource users by providing them knowledge to become efficient managers and prudent users of their resources.