IN ORDER to increase the supply of fish in the province, five mariculture sites within the mariculture zones in the island’s shallower waters are set to be declared and around 100 fish cages in each of these sites to be established by the provincial government of Bohol.
This was disclosed by Bohol fisheries consultant and former Bureau of Fisheries and Agriculture Resources (BFAR) regional director Al Piloton during the recent agri-fisheries consultative meeting with the mayors, municipal agriculture and fisheries officers, and stakeholders.
Piloton said these fish cages can grow high value fish species which will boost the local fish supply and help stabilize its prices here.
Bohol has been successful in raising pompano, rabbitfish (kitong), sea bass (apahap), emperor fish (katambak), grouper (pugapo), blue and green crabs in cages as well as seaweed farming.
“Key legislation could also be a critical move to address poverty, secure food, stabilize prices and lay the foundations for sustained long term growth and fishery sector development,” said Piloton.
He told mayors that the waters from the mariculture zone of Maribojoc to Candijay towns can host the five mariculture parks.
The open and deep waters of Cebu strait to the southern Bohol seas of the Mindanao Sea to Anda town would be allocated for pelagic fish harvest, he added.
Piloton also pushed to augment bangus (milkfish) farming in fish cages and engaging in more value-adding activities that will help attain a longer shelf life for the fish in its processed form.
“Bangus fisheries, whether in cases or in ponds, supply a little over 85,000 kilograms of fish for Bohol every month,” he said.
Fish harvest that supplies Bohol is only around 10 percent of the total demand, forcing the price to soar due to the economics of supply and demand.
Based on the July 2021 data of the food security cluster of the Capitol, Bohol’s annual per capita fish consumption is at 38.7 kilograms.
The province would need to land 53,900,000 kilograms of fish annually to satisfy the demand for fish and fishery products. (RAHC/PIA7 Bohol)
