El Niño affecting fish catch in the province?

CEBU, Philippines - The fishery sector in Cebu Province is said to have suffered a blow because of the prevailing El Niño phenomenon, at least based on the report of the Cebu Provincial Rapid Assessment Team.

The team said damage to the sector has reached P750,000 but the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-7 said yesterday it will have to verify the report.

BFAR-7 Director Andres Bojos said the agency will conduct its own validation at the areas affected.

Fisherfolk are classified as those directly fishing in the seas and engaged in inland fish farming and those who make a living from fishing like fish vendors, fish market workers, as well as those who transport them.

Bojos said validation is important because there are inland fish farmers who intentionally did not put fish in their ponds because of El Niño and chose to use the ponds when rain returns. These farmers, in effect, cannot claim to be affected by El Niño.

"Sometimes, bisan og wala sila nag-farming (fish), ilang i-apil as damage in hopes nga dunay ihatag nga kwarta (financial assistance)," Bojos explained.

According to him, what happened is mere loss of opportunity because of El Niño and cannot be compared to those who did farm but failed to reach their target profit due to scarcity of water supply and extreme heat.

Bojos said supply of fish sold in markets from seas surrounding Cebu has been stable. Likewise, BFAR reportedly has not received reports of decrease in fish catch from fisherfolk themselves and even from the agency's personnel.

Pelagic species of fish like sardines, tuna-like fishes, galunggong, alumahan, and other fishes that thrive in the mid-surface of the ocean are abundant during the summer season, Bojos said.

Alma Saavedra, public information officer of BFAR-7, told Banat News earlier said earlier the agency is confident that the strict implementation of seasonal fish bans has replenished fish stocks.

Organization

Yesterday, Bojos sworn in the new set of fisherfolk officers for 2016.

Diosdado Legaspino took over the position of Regional Fisherfolk Director from Jesus Barbadillo in a simple ceremony attended by different representatives of fisherfolk organizations in Central Visayas.

Among those sworn in were provincial fisherfolk directors Anecito Kristal of Bohol, Evelyn Malicay of Siquijor, Richard Sun of Negros, and Hariman Naawi of Cebu.

Their main task is to help organize fishing sectors in their respective provinces in order to help them benefit from the government's programs.

There are now 125,439 registered fisherfolk in the region and 25,000 registered fishing boats, but BFAR believes there are more that need to be registered.

Aside from swearing the new officers into office, BFAR-7 handed certificates of recognition to eight of the agency's scholars who graduated Bachelor of Science in Fisheries from different colleges and universities this year.

They are sons and daughters of ordinary fishermen who passed the requisites set by BFAR for the scholarship program. (FREEMAN)