San Juan, Puerto Rico - The Fish Hatchery in the municipality of Maricao will have a new opportunity to continue cultivating fish species that sustain the population of aquatic life in the islands' reservoirs. The hatchery facilities, which are part of the National Register of Historic Places, will be repaired with over $6 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The hatchery is considered one of the municipality's main attractions due to the large number of species that are raised and then relocated to the mountain rivers - its annual production of largemouth bass ranged from 50,000 to 200,000 fish per year.
The funds allocated to the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) will address some of the damage that has kept the hatchery closed to the public since Hurricane María. The gazebos, dike walls and the main drainage channel will be replaced, including the cleaning and unclogging of drainage pipes.
“This is the only state government facility dedicated to the maintenance and preservation of diverse fish in all of Puerto Rico. This is why FEMA supports the renovation of the hatchery, which fosters scientific research related to aquaculture and in turn has an economic impact on the municipality," said federal Disaster Recovery Coordinator José G. Baquero.
According to biologist María Olmeda, leader of the hatchery project for the DNER, before Hurricane María, fish " farming" was done in almost all of the island's reservoirs. "The hatchery has been instrumental in the development of Puerto Rico's freshwater fisheries. More than collaborating in the introduction of fish, it has been key to sustain and maintain healthy fish populations already established," she said.
According to the biologist, prior to Hurricane María, the hatchery was considered one of the best and most modern in the Caribbean, where there was a historic production of fish that were transferred to the different reservoirs of the island. In addition, the group working at the hatchery was able to produce pure Florida largemouth bass, which are more resistant to the island's temperatures and live longer.
Maricao mayor Wilfredo Ruiz said the nursery has been an icon of the municipality, particularly between the 1980s and early 2000s. “The Fish Hatchery was the main attraction for tourism in Maricao. As people came to see it, it moved the economy by boosting the patronage of businesses and restaurants in the area. There were many businesses that closed because of the lack of activity due to the closure of the fish hatchery," he recalled.
In his opinion, with the funds allocated from FEMA, the nursery will benefit sport fishing while it will also serve as a space to collaborate with research projects of the science fairs of colleges and universities in Puerto Rico and abroad. Another benefit of having a repaired facility is that it will allow for the conservation of the Puerto Rican parrot that is currently in captivity in the area.
In addition, the project has over $163,000 to prevent similar damage in the future. Some of these measures include placing a concrete base for the gazebo, installing eco-friendly retaining walls, and adding concrete under the fish hatchery, dam and bridges to give them more stability.
"Fulfilling Governor Pedro Pierluisi's commitment to support projects that promote diverse economies, as well as those aimed at scientific research, we at COR3 will assist the DNER in these efforts aimed at completing the reconstruction of this iconic Fish Hatchery in Maricao, which will provide a safe environment and infrastructure in optimal conditions for our people and members of academia," said the Executive Director of the Central Office of Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3), Eng. Manuel A. Laboy Rivera.
To date, FEMA has obligated nearly $30.4 billion in Public Assistance funds for roughly 10,600 projects that will support the rebuilding of a more resilient Puerto Rico.
For more information about Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricane María, visit fema.gov/disaster/4339 y recovery.pr. Follow us on social media at Facebook.com/FEMAPuertoRico, Facebook.com/COR3pr and Twitter @COR3pr.
Source: Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency