TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA) -- The provincial government of Bohol is implementing intervention measures which are expected to bring down the prices of fish in the province. 

Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado earlier created the “Task Force Isda,” which was tasked to come up with more sustainable solutions to make fish affordable in the province. 

“It would be a better picture of the fish supply and prices in Bohol this year,” assured Project Development Officer and Bohol Fish Program focal person Clovis Llorente. 

According to Salvio Madanguit of the Bohol “Fish Buy Back” program, a component of the task force, the province’s interventions include long and short-term solutions, such as encouraging fishermen to sell their catch to the government rather than to middlemen. 

A study conducted earlier showed that businessmen scour the seas to look for fishermen and force them to sell their catch to them, which they then bring to the markets without assurance of sales for the fishermen. 

Most fishermen who could haul a huge catch face the problem of where to store what they cannot sell for a day, so selling to the businessmen in bulk while still at sea addresses this problem for them. 

The same study also showed that some fishermen are forced to sell their catch to people who could provide loans for them. 

In this case, the lender almost always dictates the price. 

To address these, the Bohol provincial government through the Provincial Cooperative Development Office partnered with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and financing institutions like Land Bank of the Philippines to send community organizers to fisherfolks cooperatives and open credit facilities for them. 

Currently, the province has requested financing for 16 fisherfolk groups. 

“As of now, we have organized 16 fisherfolk groups, whom we asked LBP to provide a funding facility to get them fishing equipment on low interest loans, so that whatever they get, half of it can be sold to the provincial government through the fish buy-back program, and the rest they can bring home for their families,” Madanguit explained.

He said that Typhoon Odette that hit the country in 2013 also contributed to the fish price rise in Bohol. 

“Much of Bohol’s fish price problems are compounded by the devastating effects of typhoon Odette, which washed out and destroyed fish implements, ruined fishing boats incapacitating fishermen,” Madanguit said. 

He said the goal is to eliminate the middlemen and set up a system of distribution from the provincial government by accredited retailers who are allowed P20 price overhead. 

“This way, they can get a good price and still be able to feed their families. We are not here just to give consumers a cheaper price, we are also helping fisher folks strengthen their organization for a better chance to succeed,” Madanguit said. 

A post-disaster report from the BFAR bared massive losses amounting to P583 million worth of damage in Bohol’s fishery sector. 

The storm destroyed fishponds, fish cages, and the vast coral covers when the waves battered the reefs, driving fish away from the usual fishing grounds.  

According to BFAR, the storm devastated 95 percent of fish cages, ponds, and other fishery facilities across the province. 

As fishermen who lost their means to go out to sea stopped fishing, the fish supply declined, driving prices up with the demand. 

BFAR also committed to provide 10 deep-sea fishing boats with fish finders to Bohol fisherfolk.

The fiberglass boats will help small hand-line fishers, and since they are designed for large-scale commercial fishing outside the municipal waters, these could boost fish production. (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)