“The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad” – AK BestMats Hagwall. That is to say, Filipino preachers are good in catching pagans but Filipino fishers are not that good in catching fish!
If overdue, to catch the Big Fish, Big Fund has been tapped. From the World Bank will come $200 Million (P10 Billion) to the Department of Agriculture (DA) to fund the Fisheries & Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe) Project to benefit 500,000 fishers and fish farmers in the next 7 years.
ANN says the DA’s Bureau of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will implement (Author Not Named, 27 October 2021, “DA Set To Pursue P10-B World Bank-Funded ‘Blue’ Resources Project[1],” DA.gov.ph):
(FishCoRe) aims to support the scaling-up and modernization of the Philippine capture fisheries and aquaculture (sectors), through the provision of technical support and innovation, access to modern and resilient fisheries infrastructure and (postharvest) facilities, and promotion of efficient connectivity and (product-value) addition, among other initiatives.
During the virtual wrap-up World Bank-DA meeting on 25 October 2021, Secretary of Agriculture William Dar said:
We extend our appreciation to the World Bank for prioritizing the FishCoRe Project, as this has been seen as the (DA’s) medium- to long-term intervention to increase resiliency due to climate change and as a bounce-back strategy for the country’s “blue economy” amid the Covid-19 pandemic. We believe that this endeavor would help us propel faster towards attaining the (DA’s) vision of a food-secure and resilient Philippines with empowered and prosperous farmers and fisherfolk.
Having read the news over the years, I can see that by-and-large fish catchers and fish culturers need to become more efficient. Thus, they need much technical support and services, infrastructure and postharvest & value-adding facilities, and efficient connectivities to markets here and abroad.
The key growth targets of FishCoRe are: 5% reduction in postharvest losses, 3% addition to household income, 3% increase in value-added fishery commodities, and 1-5% reduction in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing incidences.
Mr Dar said FishCoRe will be implemented in designated Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs), initially FMAs 6 and 9 covering 11 regions and 24 provinces, and totaling 32 million hectares of coastal and marine waters. Under FMA 6, the waters are off the West Philippine Sea including Pagudpud Bay, Subic Bay, Manila Bay to Lubang Island. Under FMA 9, the waters are in the in Bohol Sea, Panguil Bay, Iligan Bay, Gingoog Bay, Butuan Bay, and Sogod Bay.
BFAR has divided the archipelago into 12 FMAs; in each FMA is “where it would implement area-specific policies and initiatives to sustainably manage fishery resources through a science-based and participatory governance framework.”
FishCoRe is expected to commence early 2022. Overall, this is in line with the DA’s mantra: “Masaganang Ani, Mataas Na Kita” (Bountiful Grains, Bounteous Gains, my new translation). Let’s hope the Blue Economy will multiply the fish captured and cultured – and lead to sustainable lives of millions more Filipinos!@517
[1]https://www.da.gov.ph/da-set-to-pursue-p10-b-world-bank-funded-blue-resources-project/?fbclid=IwAR2pqQ5LLPdc4SWBj5ek6YK2yYhJsOiHFLL2MXzFmqAdzjOeYvgNx-sWNII
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