THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 7 has urged people to dispose of their used face masks properly rather than throwing them anywhere as these may end up in the coasts or in the oceans.
The BFAR 7 reminded the public via its Facebook page on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, the day the International Coastal Cleanup Day was observed.
The agency said it noticed that several face masks were gathered during the cleanup drive it had organized last week.
A total of 772 kilos of garbage, including face masks, was gathered by the BFAR 7 from the eight separate coastal cleanups conducted in the region from Sept. 13 to 17.
The provincial fishery offices and the field facilities of the BFAR 7 initiated the cleanup drive in their respective areas to mark the celebration of the 58th Fish Conservation Week, which is an annual event done every third week of September.
The activity comes timely with the observance of the International Coastal Cleanup Day, which happens every third Saturday of the month.
The BFAR 7-Ubay Brackishwater Fish Farm in Ubay town, Bohol kicked off the weeklong observance with the holding of the coastal cleanup last Sept. 13.
The facility personnel continued on Sept. 14, accumulating 15 sacks or 375 kilos of garbage, which were later hauled by the Ubay Municipal Solid Waste Management for proper disposal.
Three simultaneous cleanups also transpired on Sept. 14 in Bohol and Cebu provinces.
The BFAR 7-Bohol Provincial Fishery Office, together with the BFAR 7 - Central Bangus Hatchery, collected 10 sacks or 40 kilos of plastic waste in Pangangan Island in Calape, Bohol.
The BFAR 7-Clarin Freshwater Fish Farm (CFFF) in Clarin, Bohol and the BFAR 7-Multi-Species Hatchery (MSH) in Medellin, Cebu organized a cleanup drive in their respective coastal communities.
The CFFF gathered about 20 kilos of garbage from Caluwasan Creek in Barangay Caluwasan, while MSH-Medellin collected more than 100 kilos of garbage in Sitio San Roque, Barangay Kawit.
On Sept. 15, the BFAR 7-Carmen Brackishwater Fish Farm in Carmen, Cebu gathered 75 kilos of garbage picked from the coastal area near the station in Barangay Cogon East.
The coastal cleanup campaign served as the culminating activity for some sub-offices or facilities of the BFAR 7 on Sept. 17.
The BFAR 7-Negros Oriental Provincial Fishery Office counted 15 sacks of garbage, which have an estimated weight of 100 kilos, during the cleanup it facilitated in Sitio Canday-ong, Barangay Calindagan, Dumaguete City.