The abalone industry could flourish in Mindanao due to locations suitable for growing the tropical abalone, a high-value aquaculture product, according to an aquaculture and fisheries expert.
“Mindanao has the potential to commercially produce abalone due to suitable sites, weather, and availability of seaweeds,” said Vincent Encena II, an abalone specialist from the Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC-AQD), a research and development institution based in Tigbauan. Iloilo.
He said Misamis Oriental, Surigao del Sur and the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), particularly the Tawi Tawi and Sulu group of islands, where tropical abalone wild stocks may be found, are potential areas for prospective abalone farms.
Encena also mentioned that Siargao Island, as well as Sarangani province and General Santos City with its numerous tuna canning facilities, have the biggest potential areas for abalone growing and processing.
Considered a delicacy among Asians, the abalone is a single-shelled, herbivorous marine mollusk found under rocks and coral rubble and is known for its sweet, firm meat. The tropical abalone species that is found in marine areas from Southern Japan to northern Australia is the donkey’s ear abalone (Haliotis asinine), locally known as lapas in the Cebuano dialect, or sobra-sobra in Ilonggo.
Encena said that canned abalone is one of the preferred product forms in the Chinese market, which is the biggest market for abalone in the world. Abalone sells for P750 to P800 per five-gallon can in the local market and costs even more if sold in the export market, he added.
While a container van load of canned tuna is valued at USD40,000, the same container load of canned abalone would value at around USD390,000.
However, he added that wild stocks of abalone in the Philippines are in decline due to unregulated harvests and overfishing, and that abalone needs to be farmed or cultured for the future need of the processing industry.
Since most of the tuna canneries in GenSan are not operating fully due to the lack of raw material for canning like tuna, a processing line for abalone may be incorporated in the tuna cannery line with minimum investment, he said, adding that this way, overhead on tuna canneries are reduced and a high-value canned product other than tuna is produced.
“ Mindanao must conduct a more thorough assessment of sites with potential for abalone culture,” he said.
According to Encena, these potential abalone sites have available areas for sea-based farms and access to processors and major abalone markets. Also, these areas are rich in seaweeds, the staple feed to abalone.
The average abalone production capacity of the identified potential Mindanao areas range from 10 to 50 tons per year, Encena said.
Commercial-scale abalone hatchery and commercial-scale abalone demo-farm must be established for prospective abalone sites in Mindanao to succeed, according to Encena.
He also added that value-added products from abalone meat should be studied.
The Philippines in 2006 was the top exporter of frozen abalone to Hong Kong, about 30 percent, while Australia had around 23 percent of the frozen market. Philippine abalone products are also exported to Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Singapore.
In his presentation during the BIMP-EAGA High Value Aquaculture Business Conference held in General Santos City last month, Encena showed that the value of the world abalone market is pegged at US$1 billion. However, demand for abalone has temporarily decreased due to the global economic downturn.
The business conference was aimed at increasing and expanding private enterprises on high-value aquaculture in BIMP-EAGA through the active promotion of joint ventures between and among EAGA members, investment and trading, and export of high-value seafood to target markets.
Encena said that BIMP-EAGA must adopt a unified approach in terms of abalone development in the region through stock assessment of abalone and seaweed, assessment of suitable sites, abalone breeding and culture centers.
He recommended a BIMP-EAGA marketing strategy for various product forms of abalone, such as abalone congee and abalone in different sauces and also look to non-traditional markets like Europe and the US. [MinDA]
