Ocean Watch Indonesia (OWI) has identified the coast of Flores Island, especially West Manggarai, as an area that holds great potential for the development of more shrimp farms in the country.
Much of Indonesia’s shrimp goes to the US. But, the three shrimp ponds recently built by Angelus Nainggalas in the fishing town of Labuan Bajo are to serve the local market, the Indonesian business journal Berita Satu reports.
Much of the shrimp that supplies the local population, including large hotels and restaurants that serve tourists, has come from outside the West Manggarai region of Indonesia in which Labuan Bajo is contained, the news service explained.
The initial seeding of the three ponds, each of which was more than 1,200 square meters in size, was attended this week by various groups, including the West Manggarai Fisheries Service and multiple businesses.
“The potential for local consumption is very large, especially for hotels and restaurants around Labuan Bajo. This is what drives us to start shrimp farming professionally,” Nainggalas,a 25-year shrimp farming veteran, told the news service.
