The volume of milkfish fry produced in the Philippine continues to drastically lag behind demand

The volume of milkfish fry produced in the Philippine continues to drastically lag behind demand, resulting in the importation of as much as 70% of the national requirement. According to the Philippine Milkfish Group, the estimated Philippine milkfish fry requirement is between 2.5 to 3 billion pieces a year and local hatcheries can only produce 900 million a year. Thus, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is growing more broodstock, which takes 5 years to reach the spawning stage. The agency is also looking into a broodstock dispersal program for backyard hatcheries to be able to address this situation.