Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap on Friday launched here a five-year program spearheaded by the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEFDEC) and Bureau of Fisheries and Agriculture Research (BFAR) to address shortage of abalone in the world market. At present, there is an estimated shortage of about 4,000-6,000 metric tons (MT) of abalone in the world market. Yap said that as the premier aquaculture research and development institution in Southeast Asia, SEAFDEC has made significant contributions in transforming the Philippines into one of the world's top producers of shrimps, seaweeds, bangus and tilapia, among other aquaculture and marine products.

Ison, L. G. (2007, July 14-15). Nat'l Abalone Breeding Program to address in shortage in world market, Visayan Daily Headlines, pp. 2, 6.