CATARMAN, Camiguin (PIA) -- Together with its beneficiaries, the Provincial Fisheries Office of Camiguin (PFO-Camiguin) and the Camiguin Philippine Coast Guard Station conducted a test fishing operation on Punta Catarman Community Fishing Association’s payao project under the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program Phase 2, here.

The test fishing, led by SAAD’s Provincial Program Management Support Office (PPMSO) in Camiguin, aimed to determine the daily catch derived from the payao and equate its results to the economic contribution to the fisherfolk beneficiaries.

The beneficiaries, who have committed to the sustainable management of their payao project, took part in carefully recording the catch and helped in noting the species caught, sizes, and any other relevant biological information.

“Nagpasalamat kami sa BFAR nga SAAD sa ilang gihatag nga proyekto para kanamo nga mga gagmay'ng mangingisda nga nagsalig lamang sa kadagatan. Dako kaayo kining tabang namo,” association member Joseph Calabroso said.

[We are grateful to the BFAR SAAD for providing us with this project, which benefits us, small fishermen who rely solely on the sea.]

With the PCG Camiguin’s assistance, the SAAD team reflected on the results of the two-hour test fishing supervised. It adopted the test-fishing procedure for future assessments. Continuous improvement ensures the reliability and effectiveness of the data collected.

Showing a positive result of the assessment, the beneficiaries showed optimism about the project's potential for a possible change in their daily income. (BFAR-10/PIA-10/Camiguin)