CITY OF SAN FERNANDO In line with its "Balik Sigla sa Ilog at Lawa" (BASIL) program, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources or BFAR in Central Luzon last Monday dispersed some 70,000 bighead carp fingerlings along the Pampanga River in Apalit town.
“This is one of the interventions that could help increase fish supply in the area,” said BFAR Central Luzon Director Wilfredo Cruz.
He added that the BASIL program will repopulate freshwater bodies with fish species such as carp and tilapia.
The dispersal of the fingerlings is meant to boost stocks that would augment the livelihood of marganized fisherfolk to have sustainable catch of fish, he said.
Cruz asked the fishers to observe safe, proper, and environment-friendly fishing practices to ensure that the benefits of water resources are maximized since Pampanga River is among the major bodies of freshwater in the country placed under the BASIL program which was launched in 2017 to rehabilitate major inland bodies of water in the country.