BFAR 2 starts construction of Ludong Research Center
TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan – The fisheries bureau in Region 2 held last month the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of Ludong Research and Breeding Center in Claveria, Cagayan.
The R10 million worth building will be established within the Multi-HighValue Species Hatchery, also a BFAR facility, located in Brgy. Taggat Norte.
According to Senior Aquaculturist and project-in-charge, Felicitas Paraggua, prime researches to be undertaken within the facility will be on benchmark information on Ludong like its sexual maturity, fecundity, and environmental parameters needed to breed and maintain the species in captivity.
“There has been a decline of 33% in Ludong catch from the year 2003 to 2011. This is caused by the rampant fishing due to high market demand and high price,” Paraggua stressed.
Due to this, Paraggua said that “recruitment overfishing” has been observed on the species. Recruitment overfishing is a condition wherein there is a steep decline both in volume and size of spawning stocks caught year after year.
BFAR RO2 Fisheries Production Chief Dr. Severina S. Bueno echoed Paraggua’s observations, and said that it is for the same reason that the Bureau issued Bureau Administrative Circular 247 in 2013, declaring a closedseason on Ludong from October 1 to November 15 of each year.
BFAR PFO Venchito Villarao, on the other hand, emphasized the need to implement fishery laws in order to prevent further decline in Ludong production. Particularly, Villarao stressed the need to dismantle illegal fishing nets (fyke nets or “tanggar”) along the Cagayan river, as these obstruct the migration path of Ludong, both the mature and fingerlings.
BFAR RO2) (Max Prudencio,