He said in the next fiscal year, the CNMI will start sending people to the Philippines and other neighboring Asian countries to visit fish farms and learn the technology involved in raising in-land fish like tilapia.
The CNMI government, he added, wants to reduce the islands’ dependence on imported fresh food.
Due to the possible increase in demand of fresh food as a result of the military buildup on Guam, he said, the CNMI should be able to import its fresh food products to its neighboring island.
According to Dela Cruz, the CNMI has a very limited number of people engaged in aquaculture products.
Tilapia, he noted, is a fast-growing fish that is very adoptable to any water condition.
Tilapia costs $3 to $4 a pound and is among the most saleable imported fish products on Saipan.
One person who is raising tilapia in Finasisu has already been selling the fish at the Sabalu Market, Dela Cruz saud,
“There are only two or three people engaged in producing aquaculture products,” Dela Cruz said.
