MISAMIS ORIENTAL (PIA)--Over five tons of marketable-sized Bangus (milkfish) were harvested by the Linangkayan Fisherfolk Association (LFA) in Barangay Linangkayan through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-10’s fisheries intervention for increase production and income program, June 29.

Stocked at February 28, 2022, the said harvest was LFA’s first cropping with fingerlings cultured in a 10-meter Norweigian fish cage provided by BFAR-10, the projects yielded the association a gross income exceeding P800,000 in about four months.

“Nagpasalamat gyud ko’g dako sa BFAR Provincial Fisheries Office Misamis Oriental (PFO MisOr) sa kanunay'ng pag-monitor sa amo, ug pagtubag sa among mga panginahanglan. Kini tanan among utang kabubut-on sa inyoha ug sa mga tawong adunay’ng pagtuo og panglantaw nga mahimong magmalampuson kini nga panginabuhian,” Fisherfolk Association President Alejo Bacangoy shared.

(My biggest gratitude to BFAR Provincial Fisheries Office Misamis Oriental for their constant monitoring and immediate response to our needs. We owe all of this to you and to the people who believe and are hopeful for the outcome of this livelihood)

BFAR-10 Regional Director Teodoro Bacolod Jr. commended the courage, resilience, and hard work of LFA’s 20 members in their dedication to attain the aim of the projects, stressing the importance of the ‘Bayanihan spirit’ in order for a project to work out.

“Learn to manage your finances, supervise your members, and learn ways how to add value to your products. Once you have that profit, be transparent, and re-invest. I want all of you to grow as a cooperative, let the success of one be the success of everyone,” added Bacolod.

In addition to the harvest, BFAR-10 formally turned over the bangus Norweigian HDPE fish cage worth P1.3 million, FRB boat, caretaker’s hut, commercial feeds, Bangus fingerlings, and fishing supplies to the Local Government of Naawan through municipal mayor Dennis Roa, which was officially rewarded to the LFA.

Meanwhile, the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and LGU Naawan challenged the LFA members to commit, protect the fishing environment, actively participate in community activities and sustain the given fishery projects.

MinDA’s initiative, Republic Act No. 11321 or the ‘Sagip Saka Act’ was strongly carried out in the implementation of the projects, which required the government to buy directly from fisherfolks to do away with middlemen.

“With MinDA’s initiative, the Sagip Saka Act was treated as a foundation to help increase the income of our fisherfolk amid the unabated fuel price hikes. The act ensures our beneficiary association to tap the appropriate market which gives a fitting price for our fisherfolk who were novices of a fishing trade of this scale,” MinDA representative Lordelie Eljambre said. (BFAR-10/PIA-10/Misamis Oriental)