PHL BANGUS BORN IN INDONESIA

THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has encouraged fishery stakeholders to putting up more hatcheries in the province saying it is a profitable venture.

BFAR Regional Director Nestor Domenden cited the continued high demand for bangus (milkfish) fingerlings yet these are imported from Indonesia.

“We are claiming that bangus is our national fish when in fact our bangus is born in Indonesia,” Domenden said.

He pointed out that 75 to 80% of the supply of milkfish fingerlings in Pangasinan are imported from Indonesia, only 20% from Saranggani and 1% from local hatcheries and from the wild.

He said the local hatcheries in Infanta, Sual, Rosales, Sta Barbara and San Quintin cannot meet the big demand of the local bangus growers for milkfish fingerlings.

In Pangasinan, a maximum 140 metric tons of bangus are being harvested daily to supply the local market but an average of 180 metric tons daily and 220 metric tons maximum harvest are needed to meet the demand in local market alone.

Sual, Anda and Bolinao remain the top bangus-producing towns in the province.

The concern for the need to establish more hatcheries was the centerpiece of the 34th Fishery Industry Forum held in Hotel Consuelo in Lingayen and attended by fishpen/pond operators, banca and fishnet operators and Municipal Agriculture Officers, Local Government Units from Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

An overview of fishery industry in region 1 was also discussed that included the existing partnership and investment opportunities in mariculture, financing program, economics of nursery production and polyculture of siganid and milkfish.

Domenden hailed the “very positive responses” of coastal municipalities and provincial governments to the call of President Rodrigo Duterte to not allow any form of malpractice or illegal fishing in order to have a sustainable supply of fish.

BFAR had sent letters to all coastal LGU’s to help the present administration on it’s fight against illegal fishing without lifting a hand and the next is to go on shame campaign as warned by Duterte, Domenden said.

BFAR also commended San Fabian for it’s intensified campaign against illegal fishing, that used to be a hotbed for blast fishing. (Nora Dominguez)

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments