BANGUED, Abra (PIA) -- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Cordillera held a distribution of more than 306,000 pieces of Tilapia, Carp and Catfish fingerlings among Abrenian fisherfolk at BFAR Provincial Fishery Office-Abra in Calaba on August 11, 2023.

This fingerlings distribution was led by BFAR CAR Regional Director Lilibeth Signey and Abra Provincial Fishery Officer-Abra Janet Daguio to around 300 Abrenian fisherfolk.

RD Signey said that the distribution is a rehabilitation program for the fisherfolk whose ponds were severely and partially damaged by ST Egay last month.

“Hindi man kasing dami ng binigay last time pero we hope that these assistance will help your fishponds recover from the effects of the super typhoon,” she said during the distribution.

Signey encouraged the fisherfolk to manage the fingerlings earnestly to earn an extra income by the time of their harvest.

Each fisherfolk received a bag of 1,000 fingerlings from the breeding facility of BFAR’s central office.

Daguio said that they carefully validate the submitted and reported damage of fishponds as their basis of identifying the beneficiaries for the program. She explained that they needed to turn over the fingerlings early in the morning to minimize the mortality of the fingerlings.

Mr. Dondon Tubadeza from the remote barangay of Namit-ingan, Dolores is one of the fisherfolk in their area with reported damage from the Super Typhoon.

“Around three thousand pesos pataas ang kita ko sa 1,000 pieces ng fingerlings pag harvest time kaya malaking bagay na ito para sa akin.  Maraming salamat sa BFAR,” he said in an interview.

BFAR continues  to encourage fisherfolk in Abra to register in the Registration System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) so that they will be included in the distribution programs of the agency.

The agency also monitors the recently distributed fingerlings by holding harvest festival among the recipients. (CAGT – PIA CAR, Abra)