BOHOL would establish at least five mariculture parks within the first quarter of 2011, said the
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) head here.
Another mariculture park would be due in the succeeding quarter, according to BFAR Cresencio
Pahamutang.
The parks would be a venue for new hatcheries of abalone, lapu-lapu, sea bass, snappers, groupers,
pompano and kitong, fish that are in high demand for tourists and locals who have not been so used
to feasting on fresh water fish.
This way, we could help stabilize the supply of fish especially during the colder months when pelagic
Fishes would be migrating to warmer and thus deeper seas, he said as he explained the noted lower
fish catch during the monsoon (habagat) season and the succeeding colder months of the year.
Sharing the seasonal tendency of fisheries, he said that off season would mean lower catch, doubly
complicated by the fact that the season also coincides with the heightened buying capacity of people
with the holiday season’s fat bonuses.
These factors help build up and push the prices up as the demand is high and the supply is miserably
low.
To help stabilize local supplies during the colder months, the government through the Department
of Agriculture-BFAR has pushed for the establishment of the mariculture parks where first class fish
could be bred and harvested as easily.
He revealed that the beginning month would also witness the launching of high-value fingerlings for
lapu-lapu, sea-bass, snappers, grouper and kitong at Sinandigan Island in Ubay town.
Eyed as locations for the mariculture parts are Panggangan Island, in Calape, islets in Ubay, Talibon
and Candijay, separate sources said. This has yet to be confirmed by BFAR however.
Capitol’s Liza Quirog also said that apart from the establishment of mari-culture parks, the
government is also into urging people to start backyard fisheries at fresh water impounding systems,
farms and ponds to increase the production and fill in the gap left by reduced commercial fishers.
(racPIABOhol)