by admin | Jan 12, 2018 | BFAR Advisory, Headlines, Local News / Bohol Balita
UBAY, Bohol, January 9 (PIA)—While legislators are busily tackling ways to bring down the price of fish in Bohol, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) kept to their mandate and inaugurates Bohol’s 11th fish hub, January 9 in Ubay town.
The fish hub is a facility where fishermen can land their daily catch to be assured of a market, or at least refrigerate them so it does not go to waste and can be sold the following day.
BFAR call these facilities Community Fish Landing Center (CFLC), and placed in them post-harvest facilities as well as spaces for trade, administration and at least a decent space for meetings and training.
Earlier, fishermen have admitted that bringing their catch to the mainland is risky as there might not be a market for their fish and without refrigeration at home, their catch might stale and go to waste.
On this, the BFAR intends to respond to that issue while noting that fisher-folk, including the entire fish trade value chain are registered and organized.
The CFLC acts as their common venue to train, to organize and plan as well as to mend their nets, sell their catch and store them in shared facilities to maximize on the harvest, BFAR Regional Director Dr. Allan L. Poquita said.
The Ubay CFLC is the 11th of the 14 multi-million facilities which Bohol got from the national government since 2016 to 2017.
Ubay CFLC has stainless steel stalls, and freezers so fish can be stored when it is not sold right away.
The new CFLC comes in its iconic shades of blue, two storey structure with provisions for an administration room, male and female restrooms, stock rooms, display and open spaces while the roof deck is a massive oven railed space for whatever the fishermen and their organizations deem it useful.
Funded by the national government through the National Anti-Poverty Commission, BFAR, National Fisheries Development Corporation and the local government unit of Ubay, the convergence of funds made the project a P2.8 million facility model of partnership, explained director Poquita.
Ubay Mayor Constantino Reyes, who used to have a fishing fleet before he ventured into politics, recalled that Ubay used to be among the town markets with the most bountiful fish.
It was also the time when the fisheries were not regulated and there was illegal fishing.
But himself convinced that regulated fishing as well as sustainable fisheries is the right way, he has spearheaded his town’s campaign into convincing blast fishers to go sustainable fishing.
With Ubay sitting in the midst of a biodiversity hotspot in the Danajon Double Barrier Reef, its sprinkle of islands, islets and shoals breed good fish which are tempting fishermen to go blast fishing.
To make sure destructive blast fishing ins stopped, the mayor organized confessed illegal fishers and gave them starter livelihood projects.
The town is also setting up two floating detachments to be manned by a composite team of wardens, police and the army as well as BFAR to keep guard of the town’s island fishers and poachers.
Now that BFAR has put up and nears its 14th CFLC, people are hoping that other sectors also look at how they can contribute to solve the mysterious pricing system when the amount fishermen get when they sell is too measly and decent enough.
With sustainable fisheries now convincing people that smart way is the better way, people each day ask the dreaded question: Will these facilities really affect and bring down the price of fish? (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
BFAR 7 Regional Director Dr. Allan Poquita said their biggest role in the fish industry is making sure that there is sufficient fish supply. Beyond that, they also make sure that their funded projects redound to poverty alleviation, this he said during the blessing and inauguration of the 11th CFLC in Ubay. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Mar 7, 2017 | BFAR Advisory, DTI Updates, Headlines
TAGBILARAN CITY, March 7 (PIA)–Clearly at a loss of explanations on the ongoing ban on hunting rare, threatened and species in danger of extinction, Bohol Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) requests the country’s lead agency implementing the ban for enlightenment.
Governor Edgar Chatto, PPOC Chairman and himself a witness to the rampant roadside and market sales of dried “sanga” meat in Jagna town, intends for the council to also be fully appraised of the nuances among banned sanga (giant manta ray), ordinary manta ray species like smoothtail mobulas (pantihan), spinetail mobula (binsowan), the giant pacific devil rays, sting rays and still the smaller species that are cooked and sold as exotic food.
A Pamilacan resident and a PPOC member Engr. Camilo Gasatan also admit that because sanga commands a high price, even the smaller non-banned species are called sanga when dried to fetch a high price.
Those who do not actually know may eat other smaller manta ray meat, sold as sanga, he said.
In fact, many Boholanos still keep an open craving for nilabog sanga, banggis, ang sinugbang buwad sanga despite a ban on hunting, taking, catching, gathering, selling, purchasing, possessing, transporting, exporting, forwarding or shipping out aquatic species listed in the appendices of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).
Also included in the ban are those categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as threatened and endangered as determined by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
Incidentally, the giant manta rays (sanga) are listed under Appendix 3 or those which are endangered species close to extinction.
But while the country drafts the ban on manta rays, then Fishery officials thought there is only one kind of giant manta rays here: manta birostris, they put in the ban.
Subsequent research however revealed that aside from manta birostris, a similar specie in the CITES includes the manta mobular and the mobulids that also frequent Philippine waters.
The ban for the other species of mantas and mobulids start this month, fishery officials reacting to FAO 193 revealed.
And because recent scientific assessments show that their population in the wild cannot remain viable under pressure of collection and trade, offenders would face a fine equivalent to three (3) times the value of the species or Three hundred thousand pesos (P300,000.00) to Three million pesos (P3,000,000.00), whichever is higher, and forfeiture of the species.
And upon conviction by a court of law, the offender faces imprisonment of five to eight years and a fine equivalent to twice the administrative fine and forfeiture of the species.
But even then, net fishers in Bohol usually string up long lines and find the banned manta rays as by-catch.
When found entangled in their nets, fishers try to salvage the meat than throw them in the sea.
By possessing the meat, these fishermen now earn the culpability that would get them steep fines and jail time.
The continuing trade of dried meat has also pushed for the patronizing of the illegal product, majority of those who east it, uninformed about the ongoing bans. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
Following the apprehension of the persons responsible for transporting over a ton of manta ray meat set for drying, the PPOC needs the BFAR now to elucidate on the ban for taking the giant manta rays, considering that there appears to be a rampant trade of manta rays and sting rays in city and town markets across the province. The ban also incorporates steep penalties for the guilty, fines reaching millions. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Jan 4, 2017 | BFAR Advisory, Health and Medicine, Local News / Bohol Balita, National News
MANILA, January 4 (PIA)–Subling nagpagawas og shellfish ban sa 9 ka kabaybayonan ang Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) sa Visayas human mag-positibo sa red tide toxins ang mga gisusing sample nga mga shellfish.
Apil sa mga apektado sa red tide ang mga baybayon sa Biliran, Calubian, Leyte, Gigantes Islands sa Iloilo; Carigara Bay sa Leyte; Cambatutay Bay ug Daram Island sa Western Samar; ug Dauis ug Tagbilaran City sa Bohol.
Giseguro ni BFAR Director Eduardo Gongona nga padayon ang ilang monitoring sa mga apektadong lugar aron malikayang makapalit ug makakaon ang mga residente sa mga shellfish nga apektado sa red tide.
Subling nanawagan ang BFAR sa mga residente sa mga apektadong lugar nga likayan una ang pagpanguha, pagpamaligya, pagpamalit ug pagkaon sa tanang matang sa shellfish sama sa tahong, talaba ug tulya. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)
