THANKS but no thanks.

This was the response of the Dasol officialdom to a proposal to transform its bay into a prosperous aquaculture field using fish cages.

Dasol bay has been identified by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) as one of the possible areas for fishery expansion in Region 1.

But the coastal town of Dasol that faces the West Philippine Sea, has reservations about going into fish farming and its residents are inclined to stick to their old and reliable industry: salt-making.

Dasol Mayor Noel Nacar said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) recently came to their town to make a pitch for aquaculture opportunities but failed to convince the members of the municipal board that agreed they won’t compromise salt-making.

“Members of the SB (Sangguniang Bayan) did not categorically say they are against fish cages but there are certain questions raised by councilors which BFAR personnel failed to answer,” Nacar told newsmen on May 1 in Bugallon town.

The mayor recalled that about four years ago, there were people who put up fish cages in Dasol Bay and consequently the color of the salt produced in the town changed .

TOURISM

Nacar, also the president of the Pangasinan Mayors’ League (PML), added that another consideration for their cold response to fish cages is the impact on the town’s tourism industry.

He pointed out that BFAR identified Tambobong Beach, which is now the top tourist attraction of Dasol, as the ideal location for fish cages.

The people of Dasol, Nacar said, would rather stick to their time-tested industries rather than risk going into aquaculture, which may eventually be a bane to the environment.

BFAR has not returned to the town to attempt another meeting to convince the town to be part of the planned fishery expansion.—LVM

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