A rise in local oyster production and livelihood opportunities is expected following Pangasinan fisherfolk’s adaptation of modified bamboo raft technology introduced by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute.

The Department of Agriculture attached agency’s bamboo raft technology was distributed to oyster-producing fisherfolk associations in ABBAS, which stands for municipalities of Alaminos, Bani, Bolinao, Anda and Sual.

“The technology uses bamboo as rafts with plastic drums as floaters. Attached vertically to the raft are plastic straps where oyster spats can attach and grow. It is also a mobile structure which can be transferred to another site when necessary,” said the Bureau of Agricultural Research.

Through the issuance of certificates, local government units are said to have acknowledged and endorsed the adoption of the new oyster farming technology.

Environment-friendly

According to NFRDI Aquaculture Research and Development Division chief and project leader Joseph Christopher Rayos, this modified bamboo raft technology is environment-friendly, utilizing floaters, bamboo, and straps to cultivate oysters, “benefiting oyster growers by reducing mortality rates, enabling faster growth, and producing better-quality meat.”

“This is a better culture method for oysters because the straps where the oysters are attached do not touch the bottom of the water. It should be at least 1.5 meters above bottom during the lowest low tide. This is the reason oysters are cleaner, with little or no sand in the shells, and can easily detach from straps at harvest,” he told BAR.

Added Rayos, “The culture period is also shorter in the floating bamboo rafts. Within five to six months, 22-24 kg oysters per square meter or 1,000-1,300 kg oysters per raft can be harvested. The size is bigger because the oysters get more nutrients from the natural food circulating in the water.”