Hatchery studies yield path to boosting abalone output

THE National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) said hatcheries have yielded improved breeding techniques with the potential to boost production of abalone (Haliotis asinina).

It said hatcheries are seeking to release more juveniles onto Philippine reefs to restore stocks depleted by overharvesting.

Abalone, known in the Philippines as lapas, is a high-value shellfish, selling for between P300 and P600 per kilo in Philippine markets and up to $120 per kilo overseas.

Intensive harvesting due to high demand has sharply reduced wild populations, prompting the agency to turn to aquaculture and conservation.

The NFRDI said the three-year project, launched in January 2024, focuses on refining breeding protocols and testing techniques to produce sterile abalone that grow faster and survive better.

According to the NFRDI, the three-year project, launched in January 2024, hopes to improve spawning and fertilization and induce triploidy, a genetic method that enhances abalone growth and survival.

The NFRDI said the team studied triploidy using caffeine, a safer and cost-effective alternative to traditional chemical inducers.

According to the agency, from January to April 2025, the project produced more than 16,000 juvenile abalone, many of which were released into Manapag Reef in Guiuan, Eastern Samar, to help replenish wild stocks.

NFRDI said its collaboration with the Guiuan Marine Fisheries Development Center ensures technology transfer to stakeholders.

Hatcheries run by GMFDC distribute juvenile abalone to marine protected areas and fisherfolk groups for livelihood support and conservation.

“The seeds we produced through our experiments and hatchery operations were distributed to beneficiaries of NFRDI’s AquaBiz School and Technology Business Incubation program,” Cristan Campo, one of the project’s researchers, was quoted as saying in a statement. 

The NFRDI said the project supports the restoration of valuable marine species and the livelihood of coastal communities. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel