At the shoreline, a group of men trot back and forth to a waiting motorized boat, carrying huge plastic bags of fingerlings to be stocked into the 225-square meter fish cage moored about 300 meters offshore.
"All of us are excited to start this venture, especially since we have technicians who will guide us throughout the production period," says Artemio Garcia, chairman of White Sand Multi-Purpose Cooperative (WSMPC), as he supervised the activity.
"CHAINS believes in the effectiveness of ‘big-small brother’ linkages in aquaculture development," says Dominguez who also serves as national sales and marketing manager of Alsons Aquaculture Corp.
Under the agreement, CHAINS, a group of 27 aquaculture and ancillary companies, will provide 2,000 fingerlings sourced from the Aqua Sur Resources Corp., while the cooperative will construct sea cages and oversee the project’s operation, TCEP will introduce appropriate stocking, feeding and harvesting practices as well as conduct regular monitoring while DTI-Sarangani will extend management assistance.
Growing high-value finfish is not new to the beneficiaries, who are former Moro National Liberation Front combatants. Two years ago, another USAID-financed project, the Livelihood "Enhancement and Peace Program (LEAP), provided the former combatants with inputs needed to start milkfish production.
Both GEM and LEAP programs are being implemented in partnership with the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) in support of the Mindanao Natin Program of the Office of the President.
Since 1997, the LEAP Program has provided assistance for sustainable corn, rice and seaweed production to more than 23,000 former MNLF fighters, some 21,000 of whom have "graduated" and continued to farm crops introduced by the Programs. Others have been assisted by TCEP to move beyond subsistence farming by cultivating high-vale commodities like aquaculture products, vegetables and fruits.
Since it was founded in 2001, CHAINS has been providing appropriate technology and marketing assistance to its members as well as initiating joint projects with fisherfolk cooperatives.
CHAINS also initiated a partnership with Sapu Padidu Small Fishermen Cooperative based in Malapatan for high-value finfish production.
"Fisherfolk cooperatives need partners for them to take advantage of the vast opportunities offered by the industry," Dominguez said during the recent 2nd Aquaculture Exposition, which CHAINS helped to organize.
Working with big companies sits well with WSMPC members who have long wanted to develop finfish culture in sea cages as their community is strategically located along the stretch of the Sarangani Bay, which is home to more than 2,000 marine species.
"We are happy to work with CHAINS, through this project, which will not only help our cooperative but also our community," says Garcia of WSMPC
WSMPC’s enthusiasm was buoyed by the bright prospects of the aquaculture industry. Experts forecast that in five years, 50 percent of fish and fish products will come from aquaculture due to finite marine resources and the recognition of the need for sustainable fishing practices.
Aquaculture production is growing by an average of 10 percent annually, from 1.1 million metric tons, valued at P32.1 billion, in 2000 to 1.34 million metric tons valued at P35.4 billion in 2002. The industry’s output in the third quarter this year grew by 1.2 percent to 281,246 metric tons from 277,923 metric tons of the same period last year. Milkfish, tilapia, and shrimps/prawns are among the major products but research and development is being undertaken to expand the varieties capable of meeting global demand. – GEM