SCIENTISTS from Australia and New Caledonia are helping local fishery experts conduct intensive research on sea cucumber, a favorite Chinese delicacy, according to Dr. Westly Rosario of the research center of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Bonuan Binloc.

Rosario said that the foot-long leech-like sea creature, a species of which thrives in the waters off Bolinao, may yet become a major source of income for fish farmers from the Lingayen Gulf area.

Dried sea cucumber commands a prohibitive price of about a thousand dollars a kilo, he said. It is usually mixed with pancit.

The research center is now producing juveniles (young sea cucumber) for disposal at the Lingayen Gulf to determine if the sea cucumber, also called sandfish, is viable for commercial production.

One of the characteristics of the fish is that it hardly moves away from its place. “Isang metro lang ang ginagalawan niya (It only moves about within a one-meter area) kaya candidate siya for sea ranching,” he said.
There are 32 known species. Four of these have been identified for commercial production.

Sandfish culture is not as expensive as the other fishery industries like bangus production, he said.

“Di na kailangang gumastos para sa pagkain nya like feeds, tumutulong pa sa paglaban sa polusyon, kinakain niya yong tira-tirang pagkain,”(No need to spend for its food. (Besides) it helps fight pollution because it feeds or eats leftover food), Rosario told the Pantongtongan Tayo radio program of the Philippine Information Agency over Radyo ng Bayan DZMQ last Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the research center continues to conduct studies on the bangus industry particularly on how to make it competitive with neighboring countries like Taiwan and Indonesia.

He noted that the Philippines used to export bangus fry to such countries. “Tayo ngayon ang nagi-import,” he said. The country, he said, had depended so much in catching fry from the sea which could not be done now because of depleting supply.

“Panahon na para alagaan natin ang ating bangus industry, naungusan na tayo ng ibang bansa,” (It is time to really take care of our bangus industry. Other countries have overtaken us) he stressed.

Dagupan started the ball rolling thru the annual Bangus Festival and the plan to build a fish processing plant. (DOS/PIA)