Small fisherfolks from Pugaro now earning from “Kalokor”
BALON DAGUPAN NEWS
DAGUPAN CITY – Fishermen from the Samahan ng mga Maliliit na Mangingisda sa Dagupan City (SMalManDaCi) are now earning additional income from the operation of beach seine called locally as “kalokor” along the shoreline of Barangay Pugaro.
As recipient of a financial assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Region 1 and the city government in the amount of P625,000, SMalManDaCi has around 5,000 members to date, according to Rodrigo Estrada, president of the association.
After undergoing training on beach seine construction and assembly, the fishermen started scouring the sea for fish on February 28 this year.
In the morning of March 18, their effort yielded positive result when they netted another good catch with a market value of around P1,500 to P2,000.
Estrada said they are testing the water to trace the area where schools of fish thrive as they hope to catch more comes rainy season.
“On rainy season, when there are more fish in the sea, we are expecting an earnings of around P7,000 to P8,000 daily from ‘kalokor’. This, indeed, is a big help to our small fishermen,” Estrada said.
Estrada thanked Mayor Belen T. Fernandez who took the initiative of helping them boost their income, which comes mainly from fishing.
Also on March 18, a food safety team from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) visited Barangay Pugaro to assist the fish processors –mostly housewives of small fishermen – in preparing their fish products in accordance with the standard of food preparation and processing.
The Regional Standards and Testing Laboratory of DOST Region1 said that Pugaro’s fish products have a big potential to be at par with other fish products being brought in the international market like the dried “pingka”, dried “alamang”, sautéed “alamang”, “dilis”, dried “dalupani” and “dulog”.
Sarah Comesario, one of the four housewives actively engaged in fish processing, said that their sautéed “alamang” is different from other “alamang” products simply because they are not using food coloring.
They are also grateful to Fernandez because their products are now being patronized by consumers and they were already able to establish a market for their products.
The DOST food safety team will be submitting their recommendations to Fernandez which will set a standard for food processing in the area. (Joseph C. Bacani/CIO)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
