Fish supply enough amid Mindoro oil spill – BFAR
THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Thursday assured that the supply of fish will be enough despite lower fish output in Oriental Mindoro and nearby provinces in view of the continuous leakage of industrial oil from the sunken MT Princess Empress.
BFAR spokesperson Nazario Briguera made the assurance saying that the fishing grounds in the country have reopened after its periodic closure that allowed fish species to reproduce.
“We do not see a shortage of fish on a national scale because of the oil spill,” Briguera stressed.
Briguera also assured that even until the Holy Week, when the demand for fish increases, the fish supply will still be adequate.
“Dahil nasa peak season tayo ngayon ng fishing activity, we expect na kaya nating punan ‘yung supply kahit tumaas ang demand sa Mahal na Araw,” Briguera added.
Briguera, meanwhile, noted that the DA (Department of Agriculture)-BFAR acknowledges some factors that may affect local fish production, including the unprecedented oil spill in Mindoro.
He also pointed out that expensive fuel costs and post-harvest losses continue to be among the challenges in bolstering the fishing industry but stressed that the Bureau has been working to address these problems.
“Alam natin na nagfa-fluctuate ang presyo ng petrolyo. Minsan tumataas ito at nagiging dahil kung bakit nababawasan ang fishing activities kaya ang DA-BFAR ay patuloy na nagsusulong ng subsidy program at payao technology (principles of fish biology) lalo na sa small-scale fisherfolk,” he explained.
Briguera disclosed that the bureau has been launching post-harvest interventions to address spoilage.
Earlier, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. announced that the government would build 11 more cold storage facilities on top of those already being constructed at various ports in General Santos and Cagayan de Oro, adding that he expects the cold storage facilities to be operational by the end of this year.
The BFAR said that the current fish spoilage is between 25 to 40 percent because of the shortage in post-harvest equipment like blast freezers, ice-making machines, cold storage warehouses, and fish landing sites.
