Reaping the harvest of patience, hard work, and determination during the four-night fishing expedition, the Balangkayan Fishermen Cooperative (BAFICO) from Balangkayan, Eastern Samar, successfully sold 1,000 kilograms of tuna caught during its first test fishing within the Eastern Seaboard of Eastern Visayas on July 24, 2024
The Cooperative marketed its catch at the Borongan City Public Market in Eastern Samar, achieving an estimated gross income of over Php150,000. Premium species like Yellowfin, Tangige, Durado, and Blue Marlin were sold at prices ranging from Php180 to Php220 per kilo. This initiative provided coastal and neighboring communities with affordable, fresh, high-quality, and sashimi-grade fish, highlighting Eastern Visayas’ rich marine resources and the promising opportunities within its local tuna industry.
The Cooperative is a beneficiary of the 2024 Capacitating Municipal Fisherfolk Program by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). It currently has 25 members, 14 of whom are trained to join fishing operations as crew members alongside technical experts from BFAR. The Cooperative, along with BFAR, operates the DA-BFAR HL 024, a 62-foot fishing vessel worth Php7.2M, within the Pacific Area. Through the program, BFAR aims to ensure that fisherfolk have access to modern, efficient vessels, thereby increasing fish production, contributing to food security, and enhancing the livelihood of fishing communities.
“Nagpapasalamat kami ha BFAR han pag hatag ha amon hini na pakabuhi ngan supporta para mahimo kami na cooperative. Dako ini bulig para ha amon pamilya pati ha amon probinsiya na maka provide kami hin isda, remarked Margarito Añuber, President of the BAFICO.
“We are grateful to BFAR for providing us with this livelihood and support to form a cooperative. This is a great help for our families and our province, enabling us to provide fish,” remarked Margarito Añuber, President of the BAFICO.
BAFICO, along with technical experts from BFAR, will conduct its second test fishing this August, followed by three more test fishing operations this year. Besides catching fish in the Pacific area, BFAR personnel onboard will simultaneously observe and monitor Payao in the Pacific area.
Other than the BAFICO, the Guiuan Fishermen Cooperative also received the same program and plans to conduct its first test fishing this last week of July 2024. In recent years, Eastern Samar has recorded the highest annual tuna production in the region, ranging from 689 MT to 4,620 MT annually (PSA), making it a top strategic area for tuna fishing and related programs. BFAR has recorded 5,338 tuna fishers in the province and aims to encourage more fisherfolk to join the aforementioned cooperatives, providing a broader and inclusive source of feasible income for more households within the rich and abundant Eastern Seaboard of the region.
