THE Maribojoc Coastal Barangay Law Enforcers from Bohol Province earned P117,000 from its recent harvest this week.
In a press statement on Friday, April 30, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Central Visayas said the association members have been recording profit from the marine floating fish cage project that was earlier granted to them in 2020 through the BFAR's Special Area for Agricultural Development (Saad) program.
Part of the fish cage project, which cost over P210,000, are the 5,500 milkfish or “bangus” fingerlings and the 120 bags of fish feeds allotted for the first cropping.
On April 29, BFAR-Central Visayas said the group harvested 936 kilograms of bangus from its fish cage installed off Barangay Poblacion, Maribojoc shores.
The members sold their harvest at P120 to P130 per kilogram.
The Maribojoc fishermen generated an income of P117,000 from the first harvest of its second fish cage.
BFAR-Central Visayas 7 said the 28-member association has two existing fish cages: the first one was a Saad-aided project funded in 2019 and the other one, under the same program, was earmarked on the succeeding year.
The offshore fish cages served as livelihood intervention to the association, which was tagged as among the marginalized fisherfolk group in the town.
From utilizing the traditional means in fishing, the association has been afforded with modern fishing technologies such as the floating-designed fish cage that may boost their productivity and income.
In 2019, the association gained a profit of P222,600 from two separate harvests.
The first harvest that year yielded 905 kilograms of bangus that generated a P108,600 revenue, according to the association's record.
The associations harvested 950 kilograms of bangus on their second harvest, giving them a sales of P114,000.
The bureau conducted orientation and training for the association on how to operate, manage and sustain the fish cage project last 2019 and 2020.
For the third year of the project implementation this 2021, BFAR-Central Visayas said it aims to guide the association in coming up with a fishery enterprise that is yet to be discussed with the group.
The Saad program follows a three-year developing scheme wherein the project provided to the association progresses into an enterprise or business that it will eventually manage independently. (WBS/With PR)