Technique to produce ‘kapis’ seed developed

A technique to produce "kapis" shell seed under controlled conditions for stock enhancement and mariculture has been developed.

The headway was achieved by researcher Jocelyn Madrones Ladja of the Tigbauan, Iloilo-based Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC AQD).

Ladja recorded her findings in a scientific report titled "Salinity effect on the embryonic development, larval growth, and survival at metamorphosis of Placuna Placenta Linnaeus (1758)."

Results of the study showed that the best salinity levels for embryonic development and larval survival of "kapis" range from 22 to 34 parts per thousand (ppt, a form of measurement) and larval growth from 16 to 34 ppt.

Tolerance to lower and higher salinities progressively increased as larvae developed from embryo to the plantigrade (walking) stage.

Presently, culture techniques for "kapis" are limited to transplantation of juveniles and brooders.

"Kapis" is a bivalve mollusc of great importance in the country. Besides being a good source of protein, "kapis" shells are used as raw materials in shellcraft industry, and are exported to the United States, Germany, and United Kingdom.

In recent years, overexploitation have considerably depleted the natural "kapis" population, SEAFDEC AQD reported. This prompted SEAFDEC AQD and some Iloilo local governments to launch a joint project to revive the "kapis" industry in Tigbauan, Oton, and Guimbal. — RAF