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Culturing rabbitfish in the works for the CNMI
Culturing rabbitfish will soon be pursued in the CNMI.
According to the Department of Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Richard Seman, the government will be pursuing the culturing of rabbitfish in coordination with the Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research, Extension and Education Service.
“This will involve not just raising them but also spawning,” Seman told Saipan Tribune in a recent interview.
Seman, who went to Iloilo, Philippines, said they were able to learn a lot about rabbitfish culturing.
“I just came from Iloilo, the Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Center and we went to a one-week extensive training, and in that training we learned how to distinguish between the male and the female, how to pair them up, learn how to develop the algae, learn how to feed them better,” he said.
Seman said rabbitfish is the most desired fish on the island, which is why they want to culture this specie.
“They also possess the most value per pound than any other species on island. Right now they sell at $4 a pound,” Seman said.
He said the rabbitfish is valuable in all its three stages—from when they are very young until they mature.
“It doesn’t matter what they stage they are, people have a craving for that fish,” Seman said. “It is one of the few fish that has its own flavor.”
Seman said they hope to obtain funding from the Department of the Interior for this project as rabbitfish is also affected by climate change.
“This is a species that can adapt, but it takes a while for them to adapt,” Seman said. “By culturing it, we can control the environment to make their growth more ideal. The slight difference in temperature, it hinders their ability to spawn.”
