BFAR-7 implements food security projects, distributes donated fish catch from fishermen

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Central Visayas distributed fresh fish donated by fisherfolk organizations to residents in Barangay San Roque, Cebu City. | BFAR-7 photo

CEBU CITY—Two fishermen organizations shared their blessings to some Cebu City residents by donating a total of 450 kilos of their fish catch.

Alma Saavedra, information officer of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Central Visayas, told CDN Digital that the two groups are the Bogo Fishermen’s Association (BOFA) and the Toledo City Fisherfolk Workers Association (TCFWA).

According to Saavedra, BFAR-7 facilitated the distribution of the donated fish to three sitios in Barangay San Roque in Cebu City, the Sisters of Mary Boystown in Minglanilla town, and to the Seminario Mayor de San Carlos in Cebu City.

Around 342 households in sitios Dumon and Palma and the fire victims in San Roque received an average of one kilo of fish each.

On the other hand, the Sisters of Mary Boystown in Minglanilla town and to the Seminario Mayor de San Carlos in Cebu City also received around 50 kilos of fish each.

Saavedra said that BOFA had been donating 100 kilos of fish weekly for the past two weeks while the Toledo fisherfolk group donated 250 kilos Monday, through the Cebu Provincial Fishery Office.

Saavedra said they hoped the groups would continue to donate part of their catch, which BFAR-7 had been distributing as part of their relief assistance to individuals and institutions affected by the enhanced community quarantine implemented because of the coronavirus 2019 outbreak.

For their part, BFAR-7 staff, led by regional director Dr. Allan Poquita, also came up with food packs worth P250 each for distribution by personnel patrolling the seas to marginal and municipal fishermen, she disclosed.

BFAR-7 had also extended food assistance to the frontliners in the form of 30 kilos of bangus they bought from the Olivo Fishermen Association in Tabuelan, Cebu.

The bureau has also provided logistics assistance to fisherfolks bringing them closer to the consumers to cope with the dwindling sales in major fish centers.

In support of the government’s goal of food security, BFAR-7 has been helping fisherfolks engaged in freshwater fish aquaculture by making available bangus fingerlings from its fish farms at cost to the organizations, Saavedra said.

She added that they continue to monitor the price of fish in major and satellite markets in Central Visayas. / dcb