"The LLDA will extend support to the young Amurao in terms of technical assistance for his additional research on the janitor fish," said LLDA general manager Casimiro Ynares III.
Ynares handed to Amurao last Thursday a plaque of recognition and cash incentive for recently winning an international competition for his research on janitor fish oil.
Amurao promised to furnish the LLDA with the results of his future research on the other uses of the janitor fish.
Ynares also pledged to seek foreign funding assistance for Amurao’s effort to prove that the janitor fish, contrary to public perception that it is a "pest" and a "menace," is a fish species that has a lot of practical uses.
"The janitor fish is not only a source of raw material for the production of animal feeds, it can also be used from head to tail and from skin to bones," Amurao said.
The LLDA is the first government agency to extend "direct assistance" to the young scientist’s work on the janitor fish oil as a bio-fuel alternative.
Amurao revealed that the bones of the janitor fish, which comprise most of the species’ body mass, are the main ingredients to produce carbon filter to purify water.
The research on janitor fish bones as carbon filter will involve the extraction of calcium and the production of activated carbon that can be used to manufacture water purifiers, he said.
Ynares has instructed the LLDA’s management committee to study other forms of assistance for the young scientist.
"We have to support talents like the young Amurao. We have to provide them with all the assistance we can give, especially if these projects are beneficial to the environment and the economy," he said.