Building a Small Lobster Hatchery here in the Philippines

[jamesmusslewhite]

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Which part if cebu are you stayin sir?

I am not in Cebu. I live in Surigao City and the lobster hatchery I am building is in Day-asan, Surigao City.

[jamesmusslewhite]

Me and my uncle is planing to make a fish farm and hopefully try raising lobsters also but its true, fingerlings are not constant

I will add quite a few posts here about lobster huts over the next few days. I am doing copy and past for two other forum site threads I have been maintaining. There is an issue with a software coding conflict that does not properly transfer the photos and videos, so I have to copy and past the written text but must locate and then individually re-post all photos and videos to this thread. It slows down the process as there are plenty of photos and videos along with the written information.

This week I will be posting many pages of posts that I am sure many members such as yourself will find of interest. Please be patient as I transfer these posts to this forum thread as I am quite sure you will find it of interest and well worth the wait...

[jamesmusslewhite]

Which part if cebu are you stayin sir?

Double Post, Admin please remove.

[jamesmusslewhite]

One question I know most readers will ask is, how much does a lobster fingerling cost?

Well one would think it would be an easy answer but it really is not. It is such a sliding scale that there is really no set price for a fingerling. As a rule the locals tend to size them according to being the approximate size of batteries. Smaller than a 'AAA' are risky when buying as they are more prone to shock during being transported long-distances. Typically 90php-150php each, but if you purchase 100 pieces and you have 50% loss than you have actually paid 180php-300php.'AA' typically cost 200php-350php. 'D' size 400php-850php.

'AAA' size can easily take 12-14 months to reach the market weight of .5 kilo

'AA' size can take 8-10 months to reach market weight.

'A' size can take 6-8 months to reach market weight.

To successfully get breeding pairs to mate is quite possible. The triggers are controlled diet, regulated water temperature, and appropriate lighting. A female can be induced to breed three times a year. A New Zealand hatchery in 2002 carefully logged the production of one breeder pair which actually mated 3 times in one year. This female released 1.6 million fertile eggs of which successfully produced 1.1 million viable Planktonic Phyllosoma (larva) in just one yearly cycle. So yes it is quite possible and have multiple females producing fertile eggs in one facility. The facility I have designed actually houses five mature females and three mature males.

The larvae are very sensitive, highly susceptible to heavy losses and are voraciously cannibalistic. Because of this there are a lot of variables which must first be considered, anticipated and properly address There must be redundant procedures and protocols in place to even expect to successfully obtain any sizable percentage of a crop to successfully survive through Stage IV growth inside the facility. Once the larvae progress to latent Stage 5 they are then placed into floating net cages where they have to be regularly monitored. They must be separated by size and removed and isolated during molting cycles as they shed their hard outer shell and are then extremely vulnerable to injury from attacks by other lobsters within their enclosure.

Do it correctly and it can be a very profitable venture, make one miscalculation, fail to anticipate a problem, try to cut corners, get lazy or stupid, fail to properly follow through a required procedure or fall short of their nutrition requirements at any of their first 5 stages of growth and you can lose most if not all of a crop within mere hours or days. Every larvae lost will cost you a potential sale. A single lobster can be sold for 90php to upwards of 3,000php depending on the size at the point of sale. Losing 80,000-800,000 or more in a period of a year can seriously cost you.

[jamesmusslewhite]

Another question members and readers might ask is, just how much does a lobster hut cost to build and maintain?

For the most part the expense to setup a lobster hut is not that much. First you try to find a location that has a decent current flow, that at low tides still maintains a water depth no less than 1 meter. You have to have someone attend the nets and feed your product, so you need someone you can trust to live out on the hut at night to protect your nets from possible thieves. If you have family members who you trust then this is a good venture to invest in. I have built three lobster huts over the last six years. Non actually cost me more than $800 to construct (including nets).



The first Lobster hut I built was constructed deep in the mangroves forest of Cabunga-an, Dinagat Island.


It was a great place to visit as it was secluded and peaceful. I had some really peaceful sleeps and fun family gatherings there. I raised a few crops of lobster there and it certainly more than paid for itself as well as served as an education on right and wrong ways. The main issue being in the mangroves was problems caused during the heavy downpours encountered during heavy rains, especially during the long extended rains during rainy seasons. Fresh water runoffs quickly changes the waters in the cages from clean saltwater to a murky brackish water. The mud stirred up by these fresh water runoff quickly changes the water salinity and the mud stirred up actually irritated the lobster. It did cause some unnecessary lose of product.



I took that hard earned lesson and incorporated it into the design of the hatchery. I designed into the lobster facility a large concrete storage tank 10 foot (long) x 5 foot (wide) x 6 foot (height) to insure that I always have a sufficient clean saltwater reserve on standby during the long extended rains. Though we sold the mangrove hut I certainly learned a lot about the process which I used knowledge gained there and incorporated into the design and in the implementation of various processes. I also carried this knowledge over in the construction of the next two lobster huts we were to later built and are currently still operating.

[jamesmusslewhite]

The second Lobster hut was built less than 20 minutes by boat from our farm. Cost (including net) was less than $300.

The area maintains a heaver water flow and does not experience the brackish condition during heavy rains as encountered in our old hut, nor does the water get murky and muddy. We only have 26 out of the original 50 lobsters and they are very close to market size. This was the cheapest to build as it merely has a small hut. The hut is built next to the huts of an uncle of my wife and his sons so there was no need for anything larger. We only periodically visit the hut to check on the stock but we never sleepover at this hut. The hut serves more as for storage than anything else. This one is a very basic (K.I.S.S.) setup with no bells or whistles.

Now once I get the lobster hatchery in operation I will be taking some of the Stage IV surplus fingerlings here and place them in fine mesh nets to try to see if we can successfully raise them. A female can release over 300,000 larvae but we will initially only have the have the grow-out capacity in our Stage IV trays for 57,600 larvae. I would like to expand the platforms and add additional nets if it proves to be successful. I could use these surplus fingerlings in a free-release program to later be released in designated areas.

[cheaptech]

Aside from pollution

Theft is a concern for these lobster huts.

People can swim underwater during the night and get all the lobsters once it becomes market size....

[cheaptech]

For mud crabs.

Plastic cages is the way to go

http://youtu.be/QI3tQgAWVuk

[ngitscarlo09]

good thing sir @jamesmusslewhite for sharing your lobsters.... my aunts business is also the same as yours in surigao del norte... they feed lobsters with sea urchins.. i think both of your set up are the same coz they also live near the sea...

[jamesmusslewhite]

I was visited twice by Mr. Joselito fisheries specialist for Winrock International http://www.winrockpccp.org/ 'Philippine Cold Chain Project' (sponsored by the USDA) and was asked to meet his boss Mr. Daniel J. Gudahl who is Chief of Party of Winrock International. I met with them at the DTI (Department of Trade & Industry) here in Surigao City and they explained to me that they are working towards establishing the Caraga Region raise lobster as a registered trademark 'Caraga Lobster' due to the volume of growers in this region and the known high quality of the lobsters grown in these waters.They said there were to things which has alluded them so far which was sources of fingerlings and a viable alternative food source. Both of which I am actively involved in. There is currently no know lobster hatcheries operating in the Philippines.

I was asked to give a one-hour PowerPoint presentation on the opening date of the first 'Caraga Agricultural Trade and marketing Exposition' (CARAT) Expo in the Robinson Mall, Butuan. I told them that I would be honored to travel up to Butuan to speak as I believe what they are doing will certainly be a benefit to the Caraga Region as well as a benefit to my many local friends and family who are part of the lobster industry here in the Surigao City, Dinagat Island and Siargao Island area. I will be discussing lobster production and talking about the lobster hatchery here in Surigao. The CARAT EXPO will be held in the Robinsons Mall, Butuan, Agusan del Norte from November 9 thru November 13. I will be speaking sometime after 2pm on the opening date of November 9, 2016.


I found this article posted on the PIA website which covers in more detail about the CARAT EXPO

News Feature: Butuan biz group promotes 'Caraga Lobster' as regional signature brand
September 19, 2016
Venus L. Garcia

BUTUAN CITY, Sept. 19 (PIA) - For a region that envisions of becoming the fishery, agri-forestry, mineral and eco-tourism center of the country, the upcoming Caraga Agricultural Trade and marketing Exposition (CARAT Expo 2016) slated to open here on November 9-13, 2016 is seen to bolster a signature brand for the region – the ‘Caraga Lobster.’

As the lead chamber in organizing the CARAT Expo, Butuan City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc. (BCCFI) tagged it as the premiere agri-fishery-related event in Mindanao that targets to identify a local product that will significantly stand out as the chief and distinctive product of Caraga region.

This 2016 CARAT Expo is also conceptualized to supplement the Philippine Cold Chain Project’s (PCCP) thrust of providing more focused marketing and trading initiatives to help increase productivity and create trade opportunities for small producers in Caraga.

Dan Gudhal, chief of party of the Winrock International, underlined that the Philippine Cold Chain Project (PCCP) is a four-year United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded program implemented by the Winrock International in Caraga region. He added that it has two primary objectives. One is to increase the production of perishable high-valued commodities, and the other is to improve marketing of those same commodities.

“We are working with things like lobster, vegetables, fisheries and the other products here in Caraga region. We are very excited to have lobster as the signature brand for Caraga region because lobster is a high-valued product and it’s something unique to the Caraga region. It really exemplifies the wonderful opportunities that are available here in Caraga,” said Gudhal.

The abundant local products of Caraga provinces

Caraga region as an administrative region in the country occupying the northeastern section of the island of Mindanao is known to be rich and abundant in agricultural and aquamarine products.

BCCFI president Roger Ramirez said that “what makes the Agusan Norte mangos extraordinary palatable is because of the sea breeze and ideal amount of moisture that gives the right sweetness and healthy fiber."

Abundant in Agusan del Sur province is the palm fruit called ‘kaong’. It is a main ingredient for the famous Pinoy ‘halo-halo’ and some other dessert salads, declared Freddie Mero, Agusan de Sur chamber president.

Boosting also the Surigao del Norte’s product, Surigao City chamber president Conception Paqueo said that swordfish, locally called ‘liplipan,’ is superb for kinilaw, grill, or paksiw. “It is also top notch for the International Game Fishing Competition in Siargao,” she added.

While king crabs in Bislig City is considered to be the biggest type in the country with its distinct taste, ‘vannamie,’ also known as white shrimps, a variety of prawn which is abundant in the municipality of Tagum, Surigao del Sur which is seven kilometers away from Tandag City is the most popular in dishes and recipes. They are also perfect for cocktail or events in a boodle feast, said Tandag chamber president Emma Guerra.

In Dinagat Islands, ‘lapu-lapu’ or groupers come in different colors and sizes yet has the same delectable taste. It is perfect for ‘escabeche’ dish.

On top of the provincial products, Caraga brings to the country and to the world its regional product brand - the ‘CARAGA Lobster.’

“Among the many products which Caraga is planning to showcase is the lobster because the people of Dinagat Islands have successfully cultured lobsters and a lot of them are already earning a livelihood from raising lobster in captivity. So lobster is a very prominent product to be displayed during the CARAT Expo, including other aquamarine products such as milkfish, grouper, lapu-lapu and seven other species which have been declared by Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources as technically feasible to be raised in captivity. Watch out for CARAT Expo coming very soon,” said Department of Trade and Industry Caraga regional director Brielgo Pagaran.

Caraga Lobster will banner Caraga region as it projects the largest and fastest growing economic hub in Mindanao. (VLG/PIA-Caraga)
[IMG]https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CklqPaAbhtY/V2jFx-vWCZI/AAAAAAAAALI/H3Sjjyfp2QELGm94HpfPyZhBy4lTZv3OgCLcB*******CaragaLobster.png[/IMG]

PIA | News Feature: Butuan biz group promotes 'Caraga Lobster' as regional signature brand