About me the Happy Fish Farmer
Hi! I'm Esobel Jaen-Fernando, an aquaculture professional and fish enthusiast for 11 years now (2024). I experienced working in a grouper and seabass hatchery - from breeding, larval rearing to nursery. I witnessed and supervised the hatchery construction which are all composed of indoor and outdoor tanks. I stayed in the same farm for 6 years so I also experienced a lot of maintenance due to the wear and tear of the facility and hatchery equipment in a salt water environment (yes, the rustiness of everything can be dealt with by just using high quality plastics and fiberglass!). There were no HR, Admin and Logistics Officers for about 3 years so I also filled in the roles, aside from managing the production.
After my grouper and seabass journey, I tried tilapia hatchery and it was good. I imparted my hatchery management skills to the team and together, we achieved 85%+ survival rate. When I arrived it was only 40%. But since I had a good team, all I needed to do is to tap on their talents and make everything systematic.
For me, to increase the survival and growth rates of the fry, there are three main focuses. First is the science - water quality and feed management for all the stages of the fry (to fingerlings). Second is the art of doing things - it's more than the science itself but the way of doing things - from planning your production cycles and your budget to seeing whether the fish are happy or sad. Last, but most important, is the people. If the team handling the farm is well-engaged, motivated, coached and cared for, they will give their 101% to making sure that the KPIs will be hit.
COUNTRIES TRAVELLED FOR WORK
Philippines
Indonesia
Uganda
Ivory Coast
Zambia
Vietnam
Thailand
Taiwan
WORK EXPERIENCE
Key Account Manager - Aquaculture | Hatchery, Nursery
ADM Animal Nutrition
February 2024 - Present
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Farm Lead (Planning)
Aboitiz Equity Ventures: Fish of Mind Project
September 2022 - February 2024 (6 months, contract)
Metro Manila / Davao City, Philippines
Member: Board of Directors
When In Baguio Inc
January 2022 - July 2024 (2 years and 6 months)
Baguio City, Philippines
Management Coach
When In Baguio App
December 2020 - December 2021 (1 year)
Baguio City, Philippines
Production Manager
PT Forever Oceans Indonesia
October 2022 - July 2023 (10 months)
Wineru, Likupang, North Sulawesi
Indonesia
Hatchery Process Improvement Consultant
Yalelo Zambia
February 2022 - June 2022 (5 months)
Siavonga, Zambia
Hatchery Manager
Yalelo Uganda
January 2021 - December 2021 (1 year)
Jinja, Uganda
Operations Manager
Mayamang Karagatan Inc.
September 2016 - December 2020 (4 years 3 mos)
Sual, Pangasinan, Philippines
Marine Finfish Hatchery Supervisor
Mayamang Karagatan Inc.
November 2014 - October 2016 (2 years)
Sual, Pangasinan, Philippines
Quality Assurance Inspector
Century Pacific Food, Inc.
February 2014 - November 2014 (11 months)
Biñan, Laguna, Philippines
Research Assistant
National Fisheries Research and Development Institute
October 2012 - December 2013 (1 year 3 months)
Quezon City, Philippines
EDUCATION
University of the Philippines Los Baños
Bachelor of Science in Biology Major in Zoology
2006-2012
Central Luzon State University
Master of Science in Aquaculture
2018-Present
Intern - Grouper Hatchery Management
CV Dewata Laut Group of Companies
May 2015 - July 2015
Bali, Indonesia
Intern - Grouper Hatchery Management
Balai Besar Riset Budidaya Laut dan Penyuluhan Perikanan
February 2015 - April 2015
Bali, Indonesia
Intern - Marine Finfish Hatchery
Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center - Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC)
November 2014 - December 2014
Tigbauan, Ilo-Ilo, Philippines
John Maxwell's Developing the Leader within you
Inspire Leadership Consultancy Inc.
Issued October 2016 (No Expiration Date)
CERTIFICATIONS AND TRAININGS
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Civil Service Commission
Issued May 2018 (No Expiration Date)
Space Management
Powermax Consulting Inc
Issued July 2017 (No Expiration Date)
Advanced Supervisory Training
Ancilla Enterprise Development Consulting
Issued February 2016 (No Expiration Date)
Hatchery Management of Siganids
Mindanao State University
Issued January 2015 (No Expiration Date)
Non-Professional Drivers License
Department of Transportation Land Transportation Office - Philippines
Issued November 2019 (Expiration Date: July 2024)
LANGUAGES SPOKEN
English • Tagalog • Cebuano (limited) • Bahasa Indonesia (limited)
email: admin@esobeljaen.info
mobile: +63 905 292 5051
