THE Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has begun testing the commercial viability of raising Australian redclaw crayfish in domestic freshwater ponds.
“We want our farmers to grow profits, not just crops,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. “With proper observance of good aquaculture practices and biosecurity measures, the culture of redclaw crayfish offers a huge potential that could sustainably transform fish farming in the Philippines.”
The Australian redclaw crayfish is a large, commercially farmed freshwater crustacean from Northern Australia known for its sweet, lobster-like meat.
On Thursday, Tiu Laurel led the ceremonial stocking of 14,000 craylings for an on-farm verification trial in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, which will run for four to five months across four designated ponds.
Researchers are testing two stocking densities: one for 10 crayfish per square meter and another for 15 crayfish per square meter.
BFAR will evaluate the survival, growth, feed efficiency and returns to determine whether the program can be run commercially. If the results are positive, the program can turn into full technology demonstrations, creating protocols for farmer training and pushing for wider adoption in inland areas across the country.
BFAR Administrative Circular 001 established the country’s first national guidelines for the culture of Australian redclaw crayfish. To mitigate biosecurity risks, the DA said broodstock and craylings should originate from certified local hatcheries or BFAR facilities.
A prototype hatchery at the National Freshwater Fisheries Technology Center inside the Central Luzon State University campus in Muñoz has 30 female and 10 male breeders, supported by 200 future breeders, which produce up to 5,000 craylings per cycle, in over three to five cycles a year.
The BFAR has 300 more craylings reserved for tank-based trials.
The bureau noted that while redclaw crayfish commands premium prices, it also has ecological risks, including outcompeting native species, altering food webs, spreading diseases like Crayfish Plague and habitat damage from burrowing.
Market issues involve inconsistent demand, competition with established seafood, supply chain, high initial costs and potential consumer perception challenges.
Thus, the project needs a careful and strategic approach, the DA said.
