GUAGUA -- The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) led the inauguration of the fish landing center in Barangay Santa Filomena here recently in bid to help boost the local fisheries industry in the town.

Leading the inauguration were BFAR Regional Director Wilfredo M. Cruz and Mayor Dante Torres. The project is part of the 252 Community Fish Landing Centers (CFLCs) planned in 2015 for strategic areas nationwide to improve the socio-economic conditions of fisherfolk communities with high poverty incidence.

The CFLCs are under BFAR’s umbrella program Targeted Actions to Reduce Poverty and Generate Economic Transformation (TARGET).

The BFAR said that CFLCs house post-harvest equipment and tools that will enable fisherfolk to preserve the good quality of their fish and fishery products, which they could sell for a higher price. Local consumers will also benefit from the fish landing centers as they will have better access to safe and quality fishery commodities.

The facilities will also be opened as venues for skills trainings on disaster-resilient fisheries-based livelihood and resource management such as monitoring fish catch and stock assessment.

Torres hailed the completion of the said project stating that the facility will be a great boost to the robust fish sector in the town. Guagua hosts one of the biggest public markets in Pampanga and is a known distribution point for brackish and fresh water fish in the second district of the province.

Torres said that the facility will help in the distribution process and make fish sources readily available to sellers and retailers.

The CFLC is envisioned to be operated by local government units and later on by fisherfolk cooperatives.