Sagay City Advances Rare Lobster Breeding in Major Marine Conservation Effort

Sagay City, Negros Occidental – Sagay City is leading a unique marine conservation effort by breeding two rare varieties of lobsters within the Sagay Marine Reserve, the largest marine protected area in the country. This initiative is aimed at bolstering the lobster population on Negros Island.

According to the Philippine News Agency, this project focuses on the Tiger Lobster (Panulirus Ornatus) and the Bamboo Lobster (Panulirus Versicolor). Both species are known for their premium qualities, with the Tiger Lobster being recognized as a particularly high-quality breed. The breeding process involves placing lobster breeders in an open-type cage system submerged in the sea. This setup provides a conducive environment for spawning while allowing the lobsters to remain in their natural habitat.

As of Monday, SCENRO has released three female and two male spawns of bamboo lobster breeders, each weighing around 1.7 kilograms. Additionally, two female and one male tiger lobster breeder spawns have been released, each with a weight of approximately two kilograms. Mayo Antonio Cueva, the head of SCENRO, emphasized the dual goals of the project: promoting environmental sustainability and boosting the local economy by enhancing the stock of rare lobsters in the Sagay Marine Reserve. The team is currently monitoring the survival rate of the released lobster eggs.

Cueva expressed optimism about the project’s potential impact, noting the challenging survival odds of lobsters. He pointed out that from every 50,000 eggs produced during the post-larval stage, only about two lobsters are expected to reach legal size.

Support for this initiative extends beyond local environmental efforts. Second District Rep. Alfredo Marañon III, chairperson of the House Committee on Aquaculture and Fisheries Resources and former mayor of Sagay City, highlighted the project’s alignment with broader goals of sustainable fisheries and marine conservation. Marañon commended the initiative for its proactive approach in combating the decline of rare lobster species and sees it as a potential model for other coastal communities to emulate in promoting responsible aquaculture practices.

This lobster breeding project in Sagay City represents a significant step towards marine biodiversity conservation and sustainable fisheries management, setting a precedent for similar efforts across the Philippines and beyond.