The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), which is under the Department of Agriculture (DA), will establish 300 fish cages in every region of the country to boost fish production and attain food sustainability.
This was bared by BFAR Assistant Director for Technical Services Drusila Esther Bayate in a press briefing during the culminating program of the Visayan Sea seaborne operations held at Culasi Port in Roxas City on Monday.
Mariculture is a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine organisms for food and other products in the open ocean, an enclosed section of the ocean, or in tanks, ponds or raceways that are filled with seawater.
The BFAR is promoting mariculture as an alternative source of income and sustainable livelihood for fisherfolks, making use of such aquaculture technologies as fish cage farming and sea ranching.
"Mariculture is a way of raising fish (just like in) farming. We are in the stage of rehabilitation (for the existing mariculture parks in the country)," Bayate said.
As of April, the total number of registered aquaculture farms in the country amounted to 523.
Fish species cultivated in these farms include milkfish (bangus), pompano (pampano), red grouper (suno), siganid (kitang), seabass (apahap), mouse grouper (panther), tilapia, (saline), red snapper (maya-maya), and tiger grouper (lapu-lapu). Other fishery products are seaweeds, sea urchins, and sea cucumber.
At present, Bayate said, the BFAR is focused on encouraging stakeholders to engage in mariculture. "We bank on this to increase our production in the next three to five years," she said.
"The (Agriculture) Secretary (Emmanuel Piñol) has made available all assistance, (such as) credit, technical assistance and support to the stakeholders," Bayate said.
Piñol on Tuesday said he has directed the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC) to discuss with BFAR how to increase the amount that may be loaned by fisherfolks.
Unlike farmers, he said fishermen need more money for capital, to buy boats and other equipment needed to sustain their livelihood
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