Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources- Ubay Brackishwater Fish Farm (BFAR-UBFF)

Overview

The BFAR Ubay Brackishwater Fish Farm (BFAR-UBFF) is a government demonstration fisheries station in Barangay Son-oc, Poblacion, Ubay, dating to November 1980. Its original mandate was narrow: demonstrate production technology for milkfish (bangus) and prawn farming in a brackishwater setting.

By the mid-1980s an Aquasilviculture Project folded in mudcrab and grouper culture within a mangrove area, and the station took its current name. It still maintains broodstock, manages the on-site mangrove stands, and produces propagules for distribution — a working research station, not a showcase.

Services run to distribution of Bangus and Get Excel Tilapia fingerlings and mangrove propagules, plus technical assistance to LGUs, People’s Organizations, and individual farmers.

Location

Barangay Son-oc, Poblacion, Ubay, Bohol. Ubay is on the eastern coast of Bohol and is the main port for boats to Leyte.

Getting There

Ubay is approximately 138 km from Tagbilaran City, served by regular buses and vans from the Dao integrated terminal. Southern Star Bus Transit runs daily Tagbilaran–Ubay trips; travel time is around 2 hours via the Sierra Bullones/Carmen route or about 2.5 hours via the Jagna route, with fares around ₱170. From Ubay town proper, the facility (Barangay Son-oc, Poblacion) is close to the town centre — about 500 m from the Ubay Public Market and roughly 75 m off the national highway.

Practical Info

• Government facility (BFAR Region VII)
• Established: November 1980
• Provides fingerlings and technical assistance to LGUs and farmers
• Manages on-site mangrove stands
• Contact: Telefax (038) 518-8165, mobile 0917-305-2411, email ubff.bfar7@yahoo.com.ph

[TO ENRICH: visitor access policy, guided tour arrangements, operating hours]

What to Expect

A working brackishwater fisheries station with demonstration ponds for milkfish, tilapia, mudcrab, and grouper, plus a mangrove component from the Aquasilviculture program. The inventory reads like a site survey: 13.842 hectares holding 14 concrete nursery/conditioning tanks, 3 earthen ponds, 18 open ponds (12 nursery, one transition, three rearing), two breeding ponds, a conditioning pond, 5 aquasilviculture ponds, a 135-sq.m. mangrove nursery, dikes, a native watchtower, and admin/caretaker buildings. As a BPTO-listed attraction it likely draws educational and agri-tourism visits — most relevant to anyone interested in fisheries, aquaculture, or coastal conservation practice.

[TO ENRICH: current active demonstration areas open to visitors, signage]

Notes

The BFAR-UBFF is a companion facility to the BFAR Multi-Species Marine Hatchery (MSH) in nearby Sinandigan, Ubay. Both are government fisheries sites listed in the BPTO tourism inventory under the Marine Park category.

Research log (2026-07-28):

• Resolved via BFAR Region VII — Ubay Brackiswater Fish Farm (UBFF) (official BFAR-VII facility page, linking to the agency’s own facility profile PDF; content cross-verified via a full-text mirror of that same PDF at docslib.org — UBFF Profile), accessed 2026-07-28: main-station address details (Son-oc, Poblacion), telefax (038) 518-8165, mobile 0917-305-2411, email ubff.bfar7@yahoo.com.ph, distances (Tagbilaran City 138 km, Ubay Public Market 500 m, national highway 75 m), total land area 13.842 ha, and full pond/facility inventory (14 concrete nursery/conditioning tanks, 3 earthen ponds, 18 open ponds, 2 breeding ponds, conditioning pond, 5 aquasilviculture ponds, mangrove nursery, dikes, watchtower). Note: the same source lists a second, smaller “Satellite Tilapia Hatchery” facility in Calanggaman, Ubay with different distances (Tagbilaran 131 km, market 7 km, highway 200 m, 0.411 ha) — those figures were NOT used here since this entity’s address (Son-oc, Poblacion) matches the main station, not the satellite hatchery.
• Resolved via Pamasahe.com — Tagbilaran–Ubay via Sierra Bullones/Carmen Southern Star Bus schedule and Pamasahe.com — Tagbilaran–Ubay via Jagna schedule, accessed 2026-07-28: published bus travel times (~2 hrs via Sierra Bullones/Carmen, 2.5 hrs via Jagna) and fare (₱170).
• Unresolved — visitor access policy, guided tour arrangements, and operating hours: searched “BFAR Ubay Brackishwater Fish Farm visitor tour hours contact,” “UBFF educational tour field trip students,” and “BPTO Bohol Ubay Brackishwater Fish Farm tourist attraction guide itinerary” (2026-07-28). Checked the official BFAR-VII facility page/profile PDF (no hours or public-visit policy stated — it’s a production/production-research profile, not a visitor guide), Bohol tourism and travel-blog sites covering Ubay attractions (these consistently cover the nearby Ubay Stock Farm and Ubay Agri-Park in detail but do not mention BFAR-UBFF as an open-to-public tour site), and general educational-tour operators (found examples of school field trips to comparable BFAR/fisheries stations elsewhere in the Philippines and Indonesia, but none specific to this facility). No public visiting-hours page, LGU/BPTO listing with hours, or trip report describing a self-arranged visit was found. As a working government research station (not a formal agri-tourism park like the nearby Ubay Stock Farm), visits likely require prior coordination directly with the station — but this is inference, not a sourced fact, so it is not written into the body. Recommend a future pass try: calling/emailing the station directly using the now-added contact details, or checking BPTO (Bohol Provincial Tourism Office) records/Facebook page directly for a formal listing.
• Unresolved — current active demonstration areas open to visitors and on-site signage: same search rounds above; also checked Google-indexed reviews/photos reachable via general search (no dedicated Google Maps or TripAdvisor listing with visitor photos/reviews surfaced). No source describes which ponds or areas are currently active for public viewing, or what interpretive/directional signage exists on-site. Recommend a future pass try Google Maps reviews/photos directly (not reachable via this session’s search tools) or local Cebuano-language Facebook groups for Ubay, Bohol.