The Pacific white shrimp will be cultured in Negros Occidental beginning March and industry leader Roberto Gatuslao is hopeful this will be the start of the revival of the province's once lucrative shrimp industry.

The Department of Agriculture lifted the ban on the importation and culture of white shrimp or Peneaus vannamei last week after field verification trials show the successful conduct of breeding and grow-out experiments of the P. vannamei shrimp in the country.

Industry stakeholders believe the culture of white shrimp will boost the country's dwindling shrimp production, and increase consumption of shrimps among Filipinos. Gatuslao told the DAILY STAR that this development would mean increase in hectarage of shrimp/prawn farms and the hiring of more people to work in these farms in the province.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the entry of white shrimp in the country will lead to higher earnings for growers and exporters if they can culture the fast growing, highly tolerant species in some 5,130 hectares of shrimp farms.

He added that shrimp producers expect white shrimp to be sold at P200 a kilo, but retail prices are likely to go down to P150 to P175 when the retooling of local prawn farms, the intensive training of growers along with technology transfer programs lead to higher yields per hectare.

P. vannamei are bred in captivity better than Peneaus monodon or the black tiger shrimp, with a hatchery survival rate of 50 to 60 percent. It also grows as fast or even faster than P. monodon at up to 20 grams in size and has a lower dietary protein requirement, making it cheaper to culture.

Yap said that most shrimp farmers in Asia have already switched to P. vannamei, making it the dominant shrimp species all over the world.

The Philippines banned the entry white shrimp stocks in 2001

to protect the local black tiger prawn from the dreaded Taura virus, but the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, however, conducted experimental trials on the breeding and culture of P. vannamei starting August 2005 to explore the possible entry of this exotic species in the wake of the clamor of shrimp farmers for the DA to help revive their ailing industry.*NLG

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