Pugaro fisherfolk assured of bigger catch
MARGINAL fishermen in Barangay Pugaro in Dagupan are the first in Region 1 to benefit from the Payao Program of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) with the installation last November 29 of the device that will help them catch fish easier without endangering the marine resources.
A payao is an aggregating device that gathers small fish in a specific spot to attract the bigger fish that can then be harvested by fishermen, but using only hand-line fishing to protect the small fish.
With payao, fishermen no longer have to wait for long hours nor venture far out before making a catch, said Mayor Belen T. Fernandez who made the request to BFAR to bring the Payao Program to the city.
If proven effective in Pugaro, BFAR will install similar devices in other fishing areas of the city with counterpart funding from the city government.
Fernandez thanked BFAR, through its representative aquaculturist Mario Racho Sr., for choosing Dagupan as one of the beneficiaries of the Payao Program.
The mayor noted that after the removal of illegal fish pens in the city’s waters, marginal fishermen have reported improved catch for them.
Fisherman Bernabe Bravo said in the vernacular, “Before we were banned to make a living out of our rivers but now I’m glad that Mayor Belen returned the rivers to us small fishermen.” (CIO)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
