The Pangasinan State University-Binmaley Campus, received PhP4.567M grant from DOST-PCAARRD for the upgrading of the Campus’ hatchery facilities. The project aimed to improve Binmaley Campus’s existing hatchery facility to meet the standard design for a mangrove crab hatchery and nursery, with the primary goal of enabling the campus hatchery to produce crablets in commercial quantities to supplement the province’s limited supply of seedstocks without compromising those on the wild. It also considered adopting refined commercial scale technology on mangrove crab culture of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) as well as empowering the project team and strengthening academe in the promotion, establishment, and management of commercial scale mangrove crab hatchery/nursery systems.
The project was carried out in four stages: (1) facility upgrade, (2) training, (3) mangrove crab hatchery and nursery operation, and (4) monitoring and evaluation. Facilities upgraded include the repair of the old campus hatchery/nursery facility, which was done between February 25, 2019 and February 28, 2020, as well as the installation of a seawater system. Prior to the project operation, the project management team, along with the VP for Research, Extension and Innovation, went to SEAFDEC-AQD, Guimbal, Iloilo, and Pontevedra Capiz for a 1-week training and ocular visit to the established hatcheries in the area. Similarly, they participated in a two-day natural food production training at BFAR-RMatDec in Alaminos City, Pangasinan. Natural food production, breeder and feed procurement, as well as spawning and larval rearing, were all undertaken for hatchery operation. As part of the monitoring and evaluation, close communication with consultants was observed through personal visits or phone calls.
To date, the campus mangrove crab hatchery continues its operation, doing its best to boost the commercial production of mangrove crablets in Pangasinan and nearby provinces.