Ayson said the activity which is one of the activities of Quirino province during the celebration of the Farmers and Fisherfolk month from May 1 to 31 this year, aims to show that fish like rice eel which is considered as menace and pest by farmers can also be a blessing and source of food as well.

Melba Francisco, provincial fishery action officer (PFAO) of the province said the training is open to all interested person, students and Rural Improvement Club members who want to learn the different processed products from rice eels which can be sold in the market and can be a source of income.

Francisco emphasized that they prefer to use rice eel as based material in order to popularize its utilization and will serve as food for the community and not as pest. The said fish specie is sold at 40 – 60 pesos per kilo in the province.

Rice eel, (Monopterusalbus), which has proliferated almost all the municipalities of the province , burrow itself on rice paddies which loosen the soil and cause irrigation water to leak. This leads to higher expenses on the part of farmers and can also damage the plants if left unchecked.

However, BFAR officials have clarified that the young eel being dispersed by the agency are not destructive eels or the rice eel species, as claimed by farmers.

“What we are dispersing are Anguilla species, which when mature, can be identified by generally black body with white blotches. These eels, which are absolute spawners, grow on freshwater but later migrate to the sea to lay its eggs and complete its life cycle,”Ayson said.