(Photo courtesy of BFAR)
MANILA – For the fourth straight time, the Zamboanga Fish Port Complex (ZFPC) has surpassed its weekly unloading record, according to the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) on Monday.
From June 11 to 17, 2021, the ZFPC saw a 38.12 percent increase, or 321.66 metric tons (MT) of fish.
Its harvest is distributed across Mindanao and some parts of Western and Central Visayas.
Of the total yield, big-eye scad (matangbaka) remained on top with 34.15 percent of the port’s unloaded fish, or approximately 109 MT.
The others were galunggong (mackerel scad), 44.04 MT; sardines, 35.95 MT; tulingan (mackerel tuna), 11.91 MT; and squid with 10.02 MT.
During a Senate hearing on June 16, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources National Director Eduardo Gongona said at least one fish hatchery in each province will help boost supply.
Each multi-fish hatchery will cost around PHP30 million.
“We need the infrastructure, especially the hatchery. We also need to establish satellite hatcheries, ponds, and other infrastructure dedicated to fisheries production,” he said during the joint hearing of the Senate Committees on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform and Finance.
“In three to five years, we will improve in terms of hatcheries. We just need the infrastructure,” he added.
Currently, five hatcheries are under construction in Surigao del Sur and del Norte, Agusan del Norte, Lanao del Norte, and Quezon.
The country produces about 1.5 billion of fry, or recently hatched fish, each year. (PNA)
