Return to passive fishing gear pushed

MANILA, Philippines - The use of passive, non-destructive fishing gear is becoming popular in the Zamboanga Peninsula following a successful demonstration by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) that “stationary, near-shore fish harvesting methods are viable alternatives to fish hunting in the wild.”

Passive gear such as gill nets, fish pots and fish corrals refer to fish harvesting techniques that are either set vertically or constructed in the water so that fish swimming into them are either entangled or trapped.

Virgilio A. Alforque, BFAR Region 9 director, said “these gear are a better alternative to such “ search and catch” fishing methods as seines and trawls because they spare the fishermen the trouble of having to spend on fuel and engage in what has increasingly become “hit or miss” fishing expeditions.

During the last three years, Alforque said his office had distributed more than 2,000 gill nets in priority municipalities and cities in Region 9.

He said “the initiative has provided livelihood to 3,714 municipal fishermen who collectively harvested last year more than 3.5 million kilos of assorted fish species with a farmgate value of nearly P180 million.”

Also last year, BFAR Region 9 started working with fisherfolk organizations to popularize the use of fish corrals or “lambaklad” especially in the collection of live high-valued species such as lapu-lapu, talakitok and siganids.

The Zamboanga Peninsula, according to Alforque, “has been chosen by BFAR Director Malcolm I. Sarmiento Jr. as the Mindanao hub for the collection and propagation of breeders of pricey but highly in-demand fish varieties.”

Alforque pointed out that last year, fishers engaged in gill net fishing earned more than P4,000 a month, almost twice the national average monthly income of municipal fisherfolk.

This year, Alforque said his office would distribute another 500 sets of gill nets, 100 units hook-and-line and 100 units of fish pots to project beneficiaries. As of May 30, 270 sets of gill nets, 20 units of squid jiggers, 50 units hook-and-line have been distributed to 610 cooperators. Also, three units of “lambaklad” have been distributed to fishermen’s organizations in Dipolog City, Jose Dalman and Sirawai whose members are currently undergoing hands on training on the proper operation and maintenance of the gear.

He added that the provincial government of Zamboanga del Norte was so impressed with the non-destructive character of the passive fishing gear that Governor Rolando Yebes had promised to include them in the provincial government’s priority livelihood programs for municipal fishers starting this year.