Fishermen-recipients in Bohol receive P2.8M worth of assistance from BFAR-7

Calape, Bohol town Mayor Nelson Yu (eighth from left upper row), Bohol Provincial Fishery Officer Candido Samijon (tenth from left) pose with Calape beneficiaries during the turnover of the P700,000 worth of oyster culture projects and marine fish cage technology. | photo from BFAR-7

CEBU CITY—Around 100 marginal fishermen from three municipalities in Bohol are expected to increase their income after they received P2.8 million worth of assistance from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources  in Central Visayas (BFAR-7).

The assistance was given to individual fishermen and fisherfolk organizations through the Bohol Provincial Fisheries Office (PFO) as part of the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) program in 2019.

PFO Bohol head Candido Samijon said the office recently awarded the fishing projects or materials to the identified beneficiaries from the municipalities of Calape, Buenavista, and Talibon.

“BFAR7 is providing appropriate fisheries livelihood through the SAAD project, along with other DA-BFAR projects, to increase fishery production and to improve family income among marginal fishers,” Samijon said.

The project is done in coordination with BFAR-7 Regional Fisheries Training and Fisherfolk Coordination Division (RFTFCD)

“Also with this, we are imparting technical knowledge and financial literacy to the fisherfolk that is very beneficial for long-term sustainability of the turned-over projects,” he said.

The recipients underwent orientation and hands-on training on how to use and manage these eco-friendly and modern fishing materials after the turnover ceremony.

Samijon said the turnover activities started on August 6 in Barangay San Isidro, Calape town, where at least 20 individuals and people’s organization Looc Coastal Developers Association, which has 35 members, benefited from the oyster culture projects and marine fish cage technology worth P717,657.

The following day, PFO-Bohol distributed P1,102,050-worth of oyster culture projects to at least 45 beneficiaries from Buenavista town.

Talibon town beneficiaries received over P1.071 worth of SAAD projects. These projects include: oyster culture amounting to P612,250; grown-out seaweed propagules and farm implements amounting to P232,200; and freshwater tilapia floating cages amounting to P227,266.

Samijon said the SAAD projects from these three towns all amount to over P2.891. /bmjo