THIRTEEN personnel from different local government units (LGUs) in Central Luzon engaged with this year's Fish Examiner’s Training Course hosted by Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Central Luzon.
Launched on Monday, the participants will undergo 10 days of trainings in fish taxonomy, anatomy, fish trade systems, basic court skills, and Fisheries Code principles.
BFAR-Central Luzon Director Wilfredo Cruz, who is among the training’s resource speaker, will discuss fish biology, which he described as the key rudiment should one aspire to be a fish examiner.
Cruz illustrated that in the fisheries industry, fish examiners are comparable to Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) who aid various law enforcers in determining whether or not the fish were caught using explosives.
"Ang challenge sa inyo [13 fish examiner's training participants] ay kung papaano maaiwasan ang pinsala sa ating capture area upang makamit ng BFAR ang mandato nitong ma-maximize ang food production sa buong bansa. Pero basta isaisip niyo lang ang kalikasan at ang mamamayan 'di malabong mapagtatagumpayan niyo ang training na ito," Cruz said.
After the 10-day training, the participants, will take written and practical examinations to be administered by the BFAR Central Office.
BFAR-Central Luzon Fisheries Management Regulatory and Enforcement Division (FMRED) Chief Neil Kenneth Catibog said that passing these assessments will grant the participants license to operate as fish examiners — personnel who are in demand by BFAR considering the sudden shift of fish yields from capture fisheries to aquaculture.
"Sa mga panahong ito lubos na kailangan ng katuwang ng kawanihan sa pagpapatupad ng batas pangisdaan," the official said.
Trainees are mostly agriculture and fishery technicians coming from the provinces of Bataan, Bulacan and Zambales.
Among the areas with high incidence of fisheries related crime and are also key locations of fish trading among markets, fish landings and harbor points in Central Luzon.