A Fisheries officer with a Technical Advisor recently came back from the Island of Maiana after completing a one-week training with the hatchery technician.

The training focused on sorting and grading giant clam spats before grow-out farming in the sea, which is one of the critical stages in giant clam inland culture-based aquaculture system. The training offered a full hands-on training and knowledge on increasing the survival rates of spats by keeping them safe, healthy and of good quality.

After the training, the spats are to be kept in the hatchery until they reach length 20mm or above. This will give them time to grow their shell stronger and harder to avoid predation and other environmental pressures once they transferred to farming sites in the sea.

The hatchery technician, also from the Island of Maiana is currently employed under the project and is now responsible in looking after the mini hatchery to make sure that the facility and all its assets are in smooth operation throughout the project cycle.

This is the fourth time the team visited the Island this year, which is part of the EU program and the MFOR extend its gratitude to the EU fisheries sector supports for funding and making this project a reality.