The Department of Agriculture (DA) is implementing an array of conservation measures to ease the combined effects of climate change, overfishing and illegal fishing that have reduced fish catch and led to lower income of fisherfolks along with higher prices in the market.
"The DA carries out through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) the distribution of panukat isda or "fish ruler" to educate and encourage consumers to buy only mature fish; and the launching of the Puno Ko, Sagip Buhay Mo or the nationwide mangrove and watershed reforestation program," said DA Secretary Arthur Yap.
According to Yap, "the BFAR is also implementing the Pangisdaan sa Bakuran or techno-demo livelihood program to encourage urban dwellers to raise fish in their backyard, the recently concluded FishTa sa QMC, which featured free seminars on raising catfish and pangasius, and consultations on DA-BFAR technical and marketing services."
"These initiatives are aimed at increasing the general public’s awareness and appreciation of efforts to sustain the development and conservation of the country’s fisheries sub-sector which provides employment and livelihood to over one million fishermen and their families, produces more than P180 billion worth of aquaculture and marine products, and about $390 million worth of fishery exports annually," Yap added.
With the distribution of panukat isda or fish ruler, the DA Secretary hopes to better educate the public on the ill effects of catching and consuming baby fishes that hasten the depletion of the country’s fish resources.
The water-resistant "fish ruler" shows the photos of five common fishes sold in the market with their corresponding "length at first maturity." Any fish whose length falls short of the prescribed length is considered a baby and must not be caught. If already caught, it must be returned back to the sea.
He said the Puno Ko, Sagip Buhay Mo, is a tree-planting program that the BFAR is undertaking with Pampano, a nationwide fisherfolk organization and some local government units, that aims to plant at least six million mangrove propagules and acacia seedlings to rehabilitate key coastal and watershed areas across the country.
Mangrove areas, aside from providing fish, shrimps, crabs, lobsters and shellfishes are man’s first line of defense against tsunamis, the occurrence of which has recently increased in frequency owing to climate change.
The Pangisdaan sa Bakuran is a joint project of BFAR, the Quezon City government, Vitarich Corp., Angel Cooperative Inc., and A & L Fish Hatcheries Inc. It aims to help families in various coastal municipalities in the country raise some species of fish in their own backyard for their own consumption, Yap said.
This program encourages the use of low-cost containers like plastic drums to grow food fish that do not require aeration and other expensive accessories.
The FishTa sa QMC info and trade expo was a week-long activity sponsored by the BFAR as part of this year’s celebration of the annual Fish Conservation Week last Oct. 19-25.
BFAR Director Malcolm Sarmiento Jr. stressed "that a strong partnership among the various stakeholders of the fisheries sector is the most vital aspect of the total government effort to manage our marine resources well for the benefit of our people."
"Aside from cooperative activities with the private business sector, fisherfolk organizations at the grassroots and the civil society, there must be similar linkages with LGUs that are actually in the forefront of protecting and developing our resources," said Sarmiento.
He pointed to the "continuing need to maintain a delicate balance between the requirement for increased production to contribute to food security against the need to conserve and protect the resources for long-term sustainability. In this regard, we still have much to do "
He explained that "the country’s coastal waters are so immense for a small government agency like the BFAR. Our country is an archipelago of some 7,100 islands, the Philippines has an extensive coastline of 17,460 kilometers long and about 26.6 million hectares of coastal waters and 193.4 million hectares of oceanic waters".
The BFAR chief said the Philippines exercises authority over 2.2 million square kilometers or 220 million hectares of territorial ocean waters, including its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). For inland resources, the country has a total of 338,000 hectares swamplands, about 253,000 hectares fresh and brackishwater fishponds, and 250,000 hectares other inland resources such as lakes, rivers and reservoirs," he added. (DA-PRESS OFFICE) /MP
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