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MORE than 13 million Pacific white shrimps were seized by Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Central Visayas (BFAR-7) personnel from two hatchery operators based in Liloan town, Cebu City last June 26.
BFAR-7 Assistant Regional Director Allan Poquita said they filed a complaint against hatchery operators Lin Chia and Elnes Bellocalio before the provincial prosecutor's office in relation to the incident.
Poquita said the two owned the Samaryan Hatchery in Barangay Catarman where they bred more than 13 million illegally imported penneus vannamei or Pacific white shrimp.
He said the Pacific white shrimps were illegally imported because Chia and Bellocalio could not present any proof of acquisition showing the species were obtained from local sources.
Poquita said Pacific white shrimps cannot be found in the country. He said the Samaryan Hatchery farm was not even BFAR accredited.
While importation of Pacific white shrimp is allowed under the law, BFAR personnel should inspect the stocks to ensure it is disease-free and of superior quality.
Judge Marilyn Lagura-Yap of Mandaue City Regional Trial Court branch 28 issued a search warrant a day before the BFAR searched the hatchery farm.
BFAR-7 Research and Development Coordinator Marlo Ruinta said they recovered a total of 13,785,940 of vannamei brood stocks, juveniles, fry and egg from Samaryan Hatchery and assorted equipment. Reporter Hayde Quiñanola
