The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) plan to implement a number coding or tagging of up to 2,400 pieces of small pelagic fishes like galunggong, hasa-hasa and tunsoy in the waters of Palawan and Manila Bay under a joint research program.
The number coding or tagging would be part of a sustainable management plan to conserve 50 percent of the Philippines’ marine resource.
According to Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) director Malcolm Sarmiento, the program would involves the insertion of special number-coded yellow tags at the base of the dorsal fin of individual fish.
“The fish would be released back into the sea and their tags hopefully be returned to the nearest fishery agency by fishermen who catch them,” Sarmiento recommended in a report to Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.
Sarmiento said that the tagging scheme would enable marine researchers to determine the migratory path of small pelagic fish which would lead to the development of a regional management plan to ensure the sustainability of marine resources.
Small pelagic fish are an important resource in many regions of the world.
In the Philippines, small pelagic fish such as galunggong, tunsoy, tawiles, hasa-hasa, matangbaka and the like constitute about 50 percent of the total fish catch.
“Studies have shown that small pelagic fishery in Southeast Asian countries bordering the South China Sea, including the Philippines, have been subject heavy exploitation,” Sarmiento said. “Hence, he said, “there is a need to come up with a management plan for small pelagics.”
A total of 2,400 pieces of fish belonging to two species of round scad and one species of mackerel will be tagged in Manila Bay and Palawan as part of the research for a regional management plan.
Dr. Joebert Toledo heads the Iloilo-based Aquaculture Department of SEAFDEC.
Last December, SEAFDEC and the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) of the BFAR jointly conducted a training workshop on the tagging of small pelagic fishes on board the M/V DA-BFAR and at the National Marine Fisheries Development Center in Navotas City.
SEAFDEC is an inter-governmental organization tasked to promote sustainable fisheries development in Southeast Asia.