TUGUEGARAO CITY, CAGAYAN – BFAR Director Asis G. Perez has distributed fishing gears and fish cages to the fisherfolk of Sta. Ana, Cagayan last April 8, as part of his activities during his recent visit in Region 02.

Distributed were 25 units fish cages, 148 units fishing gears (gill net and troll line) and a payao. The provision of fish cages is a component of the mariculture park project in the region and are intended as source of supplemental livelihood for fisherfolk. Beneficiaries were fisherfolk associations who were given three units fish cage each.
The fishing gears were given to same fisherfolk associations per request of the town’s Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council.

Dir. Perez, a known environmentalist, exhorted the fisherfolk to work for the protection of fishery resources and refrain from using illegal methods of fishing. “Damage from blast fishing in terms of fish larvae is easily more than the production from our land-based hatcheries,” Perez, former Executive Director of Tanggol Kalikasan, has said.

Meanwhile, the director has also instructed the regional office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources here to study the possibility of establishing an aquaculture park in Magat Reservoir in Ramon, Isabela RO2. Magat reservoir, which straddles the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela and Ifugao, has an area of about 4,500 hectare and is region 2’s major site for fish cage operations.

Further, on the provision of livelihood and technology dissemination, the director instructed BFAR RO2 to expand techno-demos on Pacific white shrimp culture (P. vannamei), increase the number of payaos (fish aggregating device) and fishing gears to be distributed to fishermen, come up with trainings on fiberglass boat making, continue the provision of low-cost fish cages and establish post harvest facilities in the coastal towns of Isabela.

On policy, the director gave instruction to the regional office to draft proposed revision of Fisheries Administrative Order 200 which is the implementing guidelines of Sec. 87 (poaching in Philippine waters) of RA 8550.

On resource protection, the director gave the instruction to continue research on ipon (fry) and determine spawning time of the breeders, and also to expand mangrove planting.