The Autonomous University of Baja California Sur (UABCS), through its Seed Production Laboratory at the Pichilingue Unit, has delivered 50,000 oyster seeds to the civil association Guardians of the Shell, a group made up mainly of women and families from the El Manglito neighborhood who are eager to enter the oyster farming industry.
The handover took place at the association’s facilities in La Paz and marked the first donation by the university in the municipality. Previous deliveries had been concentrated in Comondú.
Javier Arce, head of the Pichilingue Academic Unit, said the laboratory’s main goal is to support small producers who wish to participate in local aquaculture. Donations typically range from 50,000 to 150,000 seeds, enough for families and small producers to begin learning the trade.
Arce emphasized that the program reflects UABCS’s commitment to social responsibility, as it directly benefits local families and small-scale producers seeking to integrate into the aquaculture industry.
“Our purpose is not to commercialize, but to collaborate with society through science, as Minister Dante Salgado has instructed,” Arce said. He explained that the laboratory schedules three major deliveries each year to meet high local demand, since existing facilities cannot fully supply the region’s needs. Recently, more than one million seeds were distributed in Comondú, further expanding the project’s social impact.
Arce added that close monitoring of beneficiaries is maintained through a communication group where participants share photos, videos, and updates on their cultivation progress. This system allows researchers to track development and document experiences.
He also announced that the team is working on a book to record the results of this community initiative and share the knowledge gained so far.
“Our goal is to create a broader social impact through innovation and science,” Arce said. “Fortunately, we’re moving forward with optimism and a firm commitment to the social development of the region.”
During the delivery ceremony, Professor Arce was joined by Dr. Miguel Imaz, head of the Department of Fisheries; Dr. Andrés Granados, project leader; and Dr. Erika Torres, coordinator of the Aquaculture Engineering program, key collaborators in the oyster seed initiative.