TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (PIA) — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Regional Office 2 through the Regional Fisheries Inspection and Quarantine Unit (RFIQU) headed by Dr. Emma L. Ballad has recently conducted an on-site inspection of the Rice Eel (Monapterus albus) or “kiwet” export holding facility in the region.

To verify the compliance of a holding facility with the guidelines set forth by BFAR, officials from RFIQU will have to thoroughly examine the facility’s unloading, receiving and screening, sizing, holding, weighing, washing, and packing areas including all the pertinent documents of the facility.

According to Dr. Ballad, RFIQU also ensures that facilities adhere to the laws and provisions provided in RA 10654, known as the Act to Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate IUU Fishing, RA 10611 or Food Safety Act of 2013, and other relevant Fisheries Administrative Orders on the exportation of live aquatic species.

The said activity was part of the regular activities of the RFIQU, a necessary measure conducted before the renewal of the export holding facility’s registration as an exporter. (OTB/MJPT/PIA region with reports from N. Cansejo of BFAR-2)