3 laws establishing multispecies marine hatcheries inked

MANILA – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has signed three laws establishing, under the supervision of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Department of Agriculture (BFAR-DA), multispecies marine hatcheries in the provinces of Palawan, Iloilo, and Dinagat Islands.

Republic Act 11734 establishes a central multispecies marine hatchery in the city environmental estate in Barangay Sta. Lucia, Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

Under the law, the BFAR-DA must transfer the management of the central multispecies marine hatchery to the Western Philippines University (WPU) within five years after its construction through a memorandum of agreement (MOA).

With the assistance of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Division, the BFAR-DA must implement a training and phasing-in program for WPU personnel on the management and operation of the central hatchery.

Duterte also signed RA 11735, which establishes a satellite multispecies marine hatchery in the municipality of Batad, province of Iloilo.

Under the law, the BFAR-DA, must, within three years after the establishment of the satellite multi-species marine hatchery, transfer the management of the same to the Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College (NIPSC) through a MOA.

The BFAR-DA must implement a training and phasing-in program for NIPSC personnel on the management and operation of satellite multispecies marine hatchery.

The BFAR-DA and the NIPSC must conduct continuing research and experimentation on the breeding and production of marine species, especially as they apply to local conditions, to discover new methods and technology that must benefit the fisheries industry.

He also signed RA 11736, which establishes a multispecies marine hatchery in the municipality of Basilisa, province of Dinagat Islands.

Under the law, the BFAR-DA must transfer the management of the multispecies marine hatchery to the local government of Basilisa, within two years after its construction from a MOA.

The BFAR-DA must implement a training and phasing-in program for the personnel of the local government unit concerned on the management and operation of the multispecies marine hatchery.

It must conduct continuing research and experimentation on the breeding and production of marine species, especially as they apply to local conditions, to discover new method and technology that must benefit the fisheries industry.

All laws were signed on April 27, 2022.