A P26.4-million multispecies marine hatchery is under construction in Barangay Caguyao, Bislig City, with the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) targeting completion within 2026.

DA-BFAR Caraga and the Bislig City government broke ground on the facility on February 14, 2025, with DA-BFAR Caraga regional director Omnia B. Olama and City Mayor Florencio C. Garay leading the ceremony. The hatchery is funded under DA-BFAR's Legislated Hatchery Program.

Why it matters

The hatchery is designed to produce 25 million bangus (milkfish) fry annually, along with high-value species such as pompano, shrimp, and crabs. DA-BFAR Caraga chief aquaculturist Rizalinda L. Abing said the project targets a longstanding gap in the country's aquaculture supply chain.

"The Philippines imports around 1.5 billion pieces of bangus fry from Indonesia. Once fully operational, this project is expected to reduce imports by 85 percent," Abing said at the groundbreaking.

Bislig is already known locally for its crabs, and officials said the hatchery is expected to reinforce that reputation by adding a steady, local source of fry and juveniles for fish farmers and fisherfolk in the area, rather than relying on imported or wild-caught stock.

How it will be run

For its first two years of operation, DA-BFAR will fund and directly oversee the hatchery, using that period to train local personnel in hatchery management before handing day-to-day operations to the Bislig City government.

"We want to ensure that when we hand over this hatchery, it won't turn into a 'white elephant.' It must continue serving its purpose for our fishing communities," Olama said.

Garay said the city government has provided counterpart funding for the project and committed to sustaining it once DA-BFAR's management phase ends.

"We will ensure that this project does not go to waste. This is an important initiative for our people, especially our fisherfolk. We will do our part in supporting and sustaining this hatchery," Garay said.

The hatchery traces back to Republic Act No. 10937, passed in 2017, which specifically established a multi-species marine hatchery in Bislig City and appropriated funds for it. The law's implementing rules, published by DA-BFAR earlier this year, spell out how a technical working group housed at the City Agriculture Office will help oversee the project and how management will eventually be transferred to the city government through a formal agreement, once construction is complete.

Nearly a decade passed between the law's passage and groundbreaking, a gap common to legislated hatchery projects nationwide that depend on annual budget allocations before construction can begin.

What to watch

DA-BFAR has not publicly announced whether construction remains on track for completion within 2026. Once operational, the Caguyao hatchery would join a small number of legislated hatcheries in Caraga, alongside a similar facility that opened in Barangay Palo Alto, Lingig, in August 2025. Bislig Today will report on the hatchery's progress as updates become available.