A fisherfolk association in Occidental Mindoro harvested more than two tons of bangus (milkfish) this month, marking the first success of a government-funded aquaculture project intended for boosting the country’s struggling fish production sector.

The Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Mamamayan ng Sta. Teresa in Magsaysay municipality harvested 2,053 kilograms of market-ready bangus in April from one of four fish cages provided by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

“I express my gratitude to BFAR on behalf of our association and to those who guided us. This project will benefit many others in the future,” said Majito Dela Cruz, chairperson of the association, during the harvest activity.

The intervention is part of BFAR’s Aquaculture and Mariculture Expansion and Invigoration Project, a P10 million project that included four 10-meter wide fish aggregating devices, bangus fingerlings, feeds, and capacity-building training.

REINVESTING FOR GROWTH
Rather than distributing profits, the group has decided to reinvest earnings from the initial harvest to fund the next production cycle.

“When our next harvest comes and our earnings grow, that is when each of us will have our shares,” Dela Cruz explained.

The remaining cages are scheduled for harvest in coming months, according to association representatives.

BFAR MIMAROPA Regional Director Roberto Abrera said the agency plans to conduct environmental surveys to identify additional optimal locations for fish cages.

The bureau also intends to provide value-adding training as production increases.

The project comes at a critical time for Mindoro’s bangus industry, which has struggled with high mortality rates and rising production costs.

Many Mindoreño farmers had abandoned bangus farming due to difficulties sourcing fry from distant suppliers in Iloilo and Cebu, with transportation losses reaching up to 90 percent.

To address these issues, BFAR is constructing a P30.56 million multi-species marine hatchery in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, scheduled to be operational by mid-2025.

The facility will provide a local source of bangus fry and other aquaculture species.

The Philippines was the global leader in milkfish production until 2010, when Indonesia took the top position.

The industry employs more than 800,000 Filipinos and provides approximately 7.5 percent of the nation’s annual fish consumption, with average per capita consumption of about two kilograms.

Bangus farming remains predominantly conducted in brackishwater ponds, which account for about 73 percent of production, with fishpens contributing another 26 percent.

Government support for the industry has increased under BFAR’s National Milkfish Industry Roadmap, which promotes infrastructure development, technical training, and marketing improvements to revitalize this important sector of the Philippine economy.

Magsaysay is the first municipality in MIMAROPA region (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan) to receive this type of aquaculture project. (with a report from PIA)

file photo