WPTRC | Guam Aquaculture Development & Training Center
WPTRC | Guam Aquaculture Development & Training Center
WPTRC | Guam Aquaculture Development & Training Center
Guam Aquaculture Development & Training Center
Also known as the Fadian Hatchery
The GADTC, also known as the Fadian Hatchery, is the largest and oldest aquaculture center in the Western Pacific. Originally built to produce fish and eel fry for the Asian market, it was transferred to the government of Guam in 1986 and to the University of Guam in 2001.
With the facility, the University is leading aquaculture on Guam through research and development of Pacific white marine shrimp, black tilapia, and salt-tolerant red tilapia as nutritious and sustainable food sources. The facility provides student internship and research opportunities as well as direct support to farmers.
The facility
The hatchery is a bio-secure facility on a five-acre site supplied with both fresh and saltwater. It is fully fenced on
three sides and bordered by a rugged coast on the fourth side. It is only 15 minutes
away from the airport by car.
Facilities include:
- 14 concrete ponds, including six 200-square-meter Swedish ponds and four 200-square-meter raceways
- an indoor hatchery with larval and artemia hatching tanks
- a phytoplankton laboratory
- a feed preparation room and a tool/work room
- two-bedroom living quarters
- refrigerated feed storage container
The facility has an automatic generator back-up system. Numerous fiberglass tanks fill the area ranging in size from 0.5 to 20 metric tons.
Goals of the GADTC
- To conduct applied research in aquaculture
- To be the center for public information on the aquaculture industry, its products, and its potential
- To serve the needs of farmers regarding technology transfer and extension service, including environmentally sound practices
- To produce fish fry and shrimp post-larvae on island to support a growing and promising aquaculture industry, reducing the reliance on imported stocks of animals
Andrew Manglona is one of 12-15 backyard farmers in recent years to purchase tilapia from UOG's aquaculture facility.
The $450,000 Beginning Farmer & Rancher grant has so far funded workshops, internships, and supplies and technical assistance for beginning farmers.
Kat Perez's internship doesn't involve a desk. Instead, she's helping to grow an emerging food source for the island: shrimp!
Locally raised shrimp and tilapia are now regularly available for Guam residents and restaurants to purchase.
The Guam Daily Post explores the Guam Aquaculture Development and Training Center, where the Fadian Hatchery is located, as the facility where GovGuam hopes to launch an aquaculture industry that could become the island's first real export, pathogen-free shrimp.
- High-health (specific pathogen-free) shrimp post-larvae (PL) and brood stocks
- Fresh jumbo shrimp for local consumption
- Improved strains of black tilapia fry
- Improved strains of salt-tolerant red tilapia
Hatchery Manager
Mongami Conlee
Office Hours: 
Office Location: Expertise
Research/Extension Associate
Santos Delos Miguel
Office Hours: Office Location: Expertise
Last updated: October 2023
