By Nazario Rodriguez Jr.
Horizon news staff

Ngatpang State Delegate Okada Techitong is currently working an arrangement with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the Philippines for a possible technical assistance that would help sustain the aquaculture industry particularly on mangrove crabs and Lapu-Lapu.
"There is a big demand in these kinds of products in the local market especially the tourists," said Techitong, who said Ngatpang State is now facing a huge problem with the Lapu-Lapu fry and small crabs to be used for culturing and eventually grown for marketable size.
He was recently in Manila to try to look e he tried to look for supply of baby Lapu-Lapu and mangrove crabs.
Techitong said that the Japanese technician, who is expert on cultivating Lapu-lapu fry, at the Palau Mariculture Demonstration Center has already left.
He said he talked with officials from the BFAR in the Philippines, whom Techitong said are willing to offer support for these efforts especially the mangrove crab products.
During the discussion, they found out that there is a Presidential Decree that was created in 1975 that regulates exportation of fisheries and aquatic products in the Philippines to other countries if the size is lesser than 10 centimeters and 200 grams in weight.
He, however, expressed confidence that the Philippine government will arrange for some exceptions to the regulation.
"The BFAR is very helpful and it is just a matter for Palau to work out, I will talk to Theo Ismau of the Bureau of Marine Resources to see what arrangements can be made," he said.
Techitong said he is planning to work out with an open dialogue with the Philippine Embassy in Palau to resolve the problem.
Techitong, who is the chairman of commerce and trade in the House of Delegates (HOD), said that there are currently four private individuals who are into Lapu-Lapu culture, four of them are in Ngatpang and one each from Ollei, Ngarchelong and one in Ngiwal.
Techitong recalled that in 2002, they were able to secure 2,000 pieces of baby crabs from Sorsogon, a province south of Manila.
But the BFAR was not aware of the regulation until recently.
Current prize of a marketable crab is $7 a pound in Palau.
He said that PMDC should do the scientific research about how to develop this industry because Palau must spend more time in the aquaculture.
"If we cannot get a baby crab from the Philippines, we will just get people from there who could identify the crabs that are available here and culture it," he said.
Techitong believes that aquaculture industry is a big employment opportunity for the locals.
"For now we’re not thinking about export yet but the local demand is very high," he said.