Samar mussel industry welcomes its godfather

By NINFA B. QUIRANTE (PIA Samar)
April 12, 2007

CATBALOGAN, Samar  –  Tahong (mussel) and Mariculture godfather GiL Adora graced the First Samar Mussel Industry Development Forum at the Cocina de Cabral Wednesday, April 11, 2007.

Adora, who is now the Assistant Director for Technical Services at the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Central Office impressed upon the people how much he devoted his time and expertise to push the mussel industry forward.

According to BFAR Regional Director Ernesto Hilvano, Adora started the industry while still a junior marine biologist. He along with someone surnamed Mariano started studying the Maqueda Bay waters and started propagating mussels.

The very same livelihood has sustained poor mussel farmers in the municipalities of Jiabong, Villareal, Tarangnan, Talalora, Motiong, Catbalogan, Zumarraga and Daram.

Hilvano added that the industry has been enjoying large growth through the years. He cited that mussel farming started in 1975. In 1999 mussel production throughout Samar yielded some 13,849 metric tons of mussels. Five years later production soared in 2005 to 109,471 metric tons. While mussel production declined as a whole in the country, in Samar production has soared to a rough estimate of 790%.

Adora told the participants that Samar-Leyte is strategically located and can supply demands from both Luzon and Mindanao.

When PIA asked where the first mussel could have originated, Adora said it could have come from international ships that docked in our harbors. While docked, the ship’s crew stripped off the rust and shells from the imbedded part and along with these could have been the first mussels or tahong. The first mussels were flown in from Parañaque, Adora said, these must have come from Spain, he assumed.

Meanwhile, to solve some of the problems that beset the mussel industry, Adora urged the tahong farmers to manage their farms well.

He urged the organizers to call on the newly elected LGU officials to orient them on the rudiments of mussel production and that enabling laws be drafted to ensure safety nets of the industry. He said that he would also suggest ordinances to regulate the harvest of the mussels so that a steady supply of the commodity can be assured.

As for the farmers, he requested them to observe Red Tide Advisories and make sure these are not violated. If a mussel farmer ignores Red Tide Warning and the mussels he sells kill, Samar tahong will forever be doomed, said Adora.

Apart from this, the marine biologist also urged the mussel farmers to observe sanitation, never to transport mussels in trucks loading hogs.