BOHOL, April 29, 2021 – Twenty-eight fishers of Maribojoc Coastal Barangay Law Enforcers earned Php 117,000 from bangus harvest through the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development Program’s (DA-SAAD) project.

The group harvested 936 kilograms (kg) of bangus or milkfish sold at a market price of Php 120-130/kg.

The association is recording profit from the Marine Floating Fish Cage Project that was granted to them in 2020 through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region 7.

The project worth Php 210,000 included materials for the 7 meters (m) x 7m x 3m fish cage, 5,500 fingerlings, and 120 bags of fish feeds good for one cropping. The fish cage is installed off the shores of barangay Poblacion, Maribojoc.

The floating-designed fish cage is considered a modern fishing technology that boosts their productivity and income.

2020: The Maribojoc Coastal Barangay Law Enforcers income

The group first received its SAAD-aided project in 2019 under the same title worth Php 220,000. They also received the fish cage materials of the same dimension, 5,500 fingerlings, and 120 bags of feeds. 

BFAR-SAAD also oriented and trained the association on how to operate, manage, and sustain the fish cage project.

The local government unit of Maribojoc was quick to prioritize the group as a program beneficiary because, aside from its poverty status, the members shared a noble cause in protecting and conserving the marine resources.

For their first harvest in 2020, they yielded 905kg bangus, collecting Php 108,600 revenue. Then, for the second harvest, they sold 950kg fish for Php 114,000 based on the association’s record. 

2021 Way Forward

In 2021, BFAR-SAAD in Bohol aims to guide the association in coming up with a fishery enterprise that is yet to be discussed with the group.

BFAR-SAAD follows a three-year developing scheme wherein the project provided to the association progresses into an enterprise or business that it will eventually manage independently. ###

Writer: May Miasco – Cabucos, SAAD Information Officer
Copy-editor: Natalianne Marie O. Delos Reyes, PR and Comms Officer, SAAD NPMO

Source: Candido Samijon, OIC-Bohol Provincial Fishery Officer; Harlene Cañete, SAAD regional focal; Ana Liza Anib-Casquejo, SAAD provincial focal