2 state universities to develop eel industry

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna, Philippines — Two state universities in Luzon are set to conduct research projects to enhance the development of the eel (palos) industry in their respective regions.

The tertiary institutions are the Cagayan State University (CSU)-Aparri campus and the Bicol University (BU)-Tabaco campus.

The project in CSU-Aparri, to be headed by Eunice Layugan, will study the composition of species and seasonality of Anguillid eel in the river system of northeastern Luzon.

It will be done in the Palauig and Sta. Ana Rivers in Sta. Ana, Cagayan and in Palanan, Maconacon and Divilican Rivers in eastern Isabela.

The project in Bicol University-Tabaco (Albay), to be headed by Plutomeo Nieves, will assess the eel fry fishery in the tributaries along Lagonoy Gulf as well as their implications for conservation and management.

The projects were approved for funding by the Los Baños-based Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) under the Department of Science and Technology.

PCAARRD, headed by acting executive director Reynaldo Ebora, said the projects will serve as the pioneering research initiatives on eel in the two regions.