The Department of Agriculture is testing the commercial viability of Australian redclaw crayfish in the country’s rice heartland as part of a push to develop higher-value aquaculture options for farmers.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. on Thursday led the stocking of 14,000 redclaw craylings, launching an on-farm verification trial to determine whether the species can be profitably raised in Philippine freshwater ponds.
“We want our farmers to grow profits, not just crops,” Tiu Laurel said, noting that redclaw crayfish culture, if supported by strict biosecurity and good aquaculture practices, has the potential to sustainably transform local fish farming.
The project is being implemented by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in partnership with the private sector. The initiative follows the issuance of BFAR Administrative Circular No. 001, series of 2025, which established the country’s first national guidelines for culturing the species.
The rules require broodstock and craylings to be sourced only from certified local hatcheries or BFAR facilities to manage biosecurity risks. BFAR is supplying the craylings from its prototype hatchery at the National Freshwater Fisheries Technology Center. The center maintains a core breeding stock and can produce up to 5,000 craylings per cycle, with three to five production cycles annually.
In Nueva Ecija, the trial will run for four to five months across four ponds, testing two stocking densities of 10 and 15 crayfish per square meter. BFAR will assess survival rates, growth, feed efficiency and economic returns to determine commercial viability.
If results are favorable, BFAR plans to roll out full technology demonstrations and production protocols to support farmer training and wider adoption in suitable inland areas. Officials said the controlled rollout is part of a cautious strategy to evaluate biosecurity safeguards, sustainability and commercial viability ahead of any large-scale expansion.
