BFAR Opens Bikol Mariculture Zones to Investors

SORSOGON CITY, March 18  - There are vast offshore areas considered as municipal waters across Bikol developed by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) into mariculture zones that offer favorable investment climate for fin fishes sea cage culture ventures and its ancillary industries in municipalities.

"We now have six mariculture zones in the region-three in Sorsogon, two in Camarines Sur and one in Masbate that cover a total area of 1,705 hectares and open to investors, corporations, cooperatives and individuals who are into the highly profitable fish cage culture," BFAR regional director for Bicol Dennis del Socorro said in a statement released here Thursday.

Those in Sorsogon are the 500-hectare Bacon Mariculture Zone Development and Management Project in Sogod Bay of Sorsogon City; 300-hectare Magallanes Mariculture Zone Project surrounding the Bagatao and Tinacos Islands in Magallanes town and the 100-hectare Matnog Mariculture Park in the municipality of Matnog covering five sites, Del Socorro said.

In Camarines Sur are the 500-hectare Sagñay Mariculture Zone and Aqua-Tourism Development Project off Barangay Bongalon, Sagñay town and the 105-hectare Camarines Sur Mariculture Park in the municipality of Ragay, he said.

The lone mariculture zone in Masbate is a 200-hectare portion of Masbate Bay covered by Masbate City, the provincial capital, Del Socorro said.

The declaration of these municipal waters into mariculture zones and parks provide for its protection and development into marine product production sites designed to produce in cages fin fishes like bangus, siganids, groupers, calan, pompano, apahap, saline and red tilapia and red snappers, among others.

They were also suited to seaweeds farming, aquasilviculture, mussel culture, sea ranching of lobsters and sea horses in coral reefs and sea grass areas and some more production initiatives that may be developed through continuing research and development program of the BFAR and other institutions, he said.

These zones and parks, the BFAR regional chief said are community-based marina type project in municipal waters with the involvement of local fisherfolks and their organization within the duly designated fishery areas.

Mariculture parks are chosen for their diverse and productive environment suitable for commercial mariculture development; access to existing infrastructure supports, ice plants, and BFAR facilities and; accessibility to input supply and markets, Del Socorro said.

The objectives of these projects are to promote mariculture as a major livelihood venture for coastal fishermen that would result in the acceleration of socio-economic growth and food security by way of providing for infrastructure, equipment and support services that allow fisherfolk to operate cost-effectively under a secured environment.

For the fishermen to be more effective, Del Socorro said, they are developed into skilled and technically capable industry hands as the projects aims to stimulate a favorable investment climate for those who wish to venture into the mariculture industry and its ancillary industries in the locally.

The projects provide for multi-product offshore warehouse, cold storage and ice plant facilities, sufficient navigational lanes and communal mooring system, internal and external security provided by the local government, BFAR assisted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

The availability of seeds and feed suppliers, cage fabricators and manpower services are also guaranteed for these investors, he added.

For investors, these projects offer reasonable locator lease rate, well-defined sites for investment categories such as small, medium and large scales, financial assistance from private and government lending institutions, marketing assistance and technical support from BFAR, local government units and non-government organizations, Del Socorro said.

One significant feature of mariculture zones, according to Del Socorro is that its utilization of mangrove areas strictly follows the provisions of Republic Act 8550 that provides for the development, management and conservation of the countries fisheries and aquatic resources.

It recognizes that mangrove areas play a very vital role in the viability and sustainability of the mariculture zone, as it provides protection of runoff water from agricultural land, filters soil particles and other pollutants from the land.

Mangroves comprise one of the most diverse communities in the coastal zone, providing habitat that serves as reservoirs, refuges, feeding and nursery grounds for many small and useful organisms such as crabs, shrimps and juvenile stages of commercial fish species so that its preservation is very important as a livelihood source of fisherfolks of communities surrounding the mariculture zones, Del Socorro said.

For the protection of the zones from garbage, investors are required to provide waste disposal system in any operating unit such as cages, floating flat forms, harvesters and other assets, he added. (PNA)