DAGUPAN CITY -- ONCE ILLEGALLY cultured in the country, the vannamei (Pacific white shrimp) is now the newfound star of the local fishery sector.

The culture of vannamei (Penaeus vannamei) underwent many challenges, including the destruction of $25,500 worth of breeders in 2005, before the government finally endorsed its cultivation. Fish growers also acknowledged that the culture of vannamei was profitable than other species.

"The Philippines was a latecomer in vannamei farming," says Westly Rosario, BFAR center chief and interim executive director of the National Fishery Research and Development Institute.

"Many countries already are way ahead in its culture, but it was banned in the Philippines for many years," he says.

While other countries have made strides in growing this species, Philippine fishery officials hesitated in accepting vannamei as a legal species for culture, industry leaders say. Some farmers clandestinely farmed it, though, they say.

But because of successful experimental breeding by the BFAR, the ban was lifted in 2007. The government also issued guidelines on the importation of broodstock (breeders) and culture of offspring.

The Pacific white shrimp's legal entry to the country started on Aug. 28, 2004, when the Department of Agriculture and BFAR entered into a memorandum of agreement with the private group Agrifisheries World to undertake studies on the culture of disease-free strains.

In December that year, the first shipment of breeders from Hawaii was destroyed because of reports that they were contaminated with a virus.

"The lesson we learned is to be extra careful to import only healthy stocks and continue reviewing biosecurity protocols," Rosario says.

In August this year, the Samahan at Ugnayan sa Alagang Hipon Inc. (Suahi) and the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) held a two-day national summit to discuss the culture of vannamei in the country. About 200 vannamei growers, scientists, academics and researchers attended the conference.

The NFRDI aquatic animal health laboratory was established at the BFAR center here to diagnose the viral diseases that posed threats to vannamei farms.

"Farmers can avail of the laboratory's services to check if the broodstock they are importing or the post-larvae they are buying from hatcheries are free of diseases," Rosario says.

The country has seven accredited hatcheries and 33 farms for vannamei, with current production level of five to seven metric tons per hectare. More are set for accreditation in Luzon, Rosario says.

The first farmers to culture vannamei are the big players in fishery industry, he says.

But experiments are to be undertaken at the BFAR center starting this month to focus on culture in small farms in Pangasinan and Dagupan City.

"Fishponds here have specific problems-they are small, shallow and cannot be drained. We are developing models for such fishponds. We are also conducting trials on low-density stocking, culture in freshwater and on polyculture with milkfish," Rosario says.

But he says vannamei culture has great potentials as part of the 36,685 hectares of farms devoted to the culture of Penaeus monodon (tiger prawn) can be used to culture vannamei.

Teofilo Rivera Jr., Suahi president and who operates 14 hectares of vannamei farm in Zambales, says more studies are needed to make the industry successful.

Among the country's fishery products, shrimps and prawns register the highest foreign exchange earners at $100 million annually, says BFAR Director Malcolm Sarmiento.

He says 60 percent of production goes to the local market while the rest is exported to Japan, the United States and South Korea, among other countries.

The BFAR has developed various products from vannamei to increase its marketability. Among these are "vannagets" (shrimp nuggets), breaded vannamei, siopao filling, loaf, noodles and chips.