Aquaculture biz to hire poor fishermen in eastern Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY, July 12  -- An aquaculture venture between the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and a leading feed producer will provide stable jobs to hundreds of poor fisher folks in the region.

BFAR-Eastern Visayas Director Juan Albaladejo said on Wednesday that giant firm Feedmix Specialist, Inc., which is based in Bulacan, will operate 276 cages at the San Juanico Strait that were abandoned by fishermen and small investors after the 2013 Super Typhoon Yolanda.

The fisheries bureau will set up an additional 250 cages, bringing the total to more than 500 cages for raising milkfish and grouper. The venture will employ at least 150 fishermen, each of whom will receive a monthly pay of PHP8,000 to PHP10,000.

“Fisher folks will be hired as workers to maintain fish cages and they will get a salary commensurate to their income from operating fish cages,” Albaladejo said.

BFAR will link Feedmix to local government units around the strait and provide technical assistance to fishermen. Feedmix, in turn, will shoulder the operational cost of the project.

“This is very sustainable since they are assured of a steady market because a company will assist them,” Albaladejo added. “They don’t have to spend any money to operate the cage since they will be considered as company employees.”

Currently, produce at the San Juanico Strait is being marketed in this city. Fish prices decrease during harvest season due to oversupply.

“There is an oversupply of milkfish at the Tacloban market while interior towns of Leyte suffer scarcity of fish supply. Feedmix committed to explore the local market and sell other produce to Manila-based or overseas buyers,” Albaladejo said.

The project, to be launched in the last quarter of this year, is considered as the first major undertaking of Feedmix in Eastern Visayas. The firm operates marine farms in Pangasinan and Zambales.

Aside from manufacturing feeds, the company is also engaged in hatcheries management, farm management training, and food processing.

The government launched aquaculture projects at the San Juanico Strait in 2008 to convince fisher folks to become fish farmers and not fish hunters. The cage areas are used to breed high-value species.

San Juanico Strait, considered as an ideal site for aquaculture, is a narrow strait that separates the islands of Samar and Leyte and connects the Samar Sea to the Leyte Gulf. It is about 38 km. long and its narrowest point is only 2 km. wide. (SQM/PNA)