Overview:
Ngatpang’s community-based sea cucumber farming initiative is showing promising results, with local surveys recording increases in both sea cucumber numbers and size. The first annual aquaculture showcase highlighted two years of community participation, skills development and plans to link marine conservation with sustainable livelihoods and cultural tourism.
The Taiwan Technical Mission (TTM), the Bureau of Fisheries (BOF) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and the Environment (MAFE), and the Ngatpang State Government jointly held the first annual Community Aquaculture Achievements Showcase at the Ngatpang Cultural Center. The event brought together 40 participants, including Counselor Brian H. T. Ko and staff from the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan); Ngatpang Governor Jersey Iyar and state government officials; BOF Project Coordinator Lincy Marino and technical staff; TTM Leader Benjamin Tsai and mission members; Ngatpang traditional chiefs and residents; and members of local community organizations.
Ngatpang was the first state in Palau to establish sea cucumber culture cages. The first harvest took place in July 2025, when TTM and local community members jointly released sea cucumbers into the wild and restocked the cages with juveniles. Coastal surveys showed that wild sea cucumber density increased from one to eight individuals per 140 square meters, while average body weight rose from 86 to 162 grams, indicating encouraging improvements in the local sea cucumber population. In addition to participating in ongoing aquaculture activities with TTM, community members attended four consensus-building meetings in 2026. TTM also invited experts from Taiwan to share their experience in seafood processing and local revitalization planning.
In his remarks, Governor Iyar thanked the Taiwan government for its support for local road expansion, agriculture, and the production and promotion of milkfish, tiger prawns, and sea cucumbers. He highlighted this year’s efforts to strengthen community engagement and establish a community-based aquaculture development model. Community representative Pamella Kaluu thanked TTM for supporting the community over the past two years. She noted that members had gained practical skills in sea cucumber farming and looked forward to drawing on exchanges with Taiwanese experts and their assessments and planning recommendations to pursue marine conservation, the sustainable use of aquatic resources, and tourism rooted in local traditions and culture. TTM Aquaculture Specialist Carlos Chiu presented the year’s community aquaculture achievements, while a team of professors from National Taiwan Ocean University outlined a proposed roadmap for local revitalization incorporating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK).
To conclude the event, community members showcased seafood dishes and processed products they had learned to prepare through this year’s community aquaculture initiative and offered tastings to participants. These included braised sea cucumber, flame-seared semi-dried fish, and dried sea cucumber. They also served traditional local delicacies, including taro and chicken soup, raw sea cucumber served with ambarella leaves, and tapioca desserts. The food showcase was enthusiastically received, bringing the event to a successful close.