31 new mariculture parks to be launched

The country’s fish production is getting a huge boost with the earmarking of P86.6 million for the launch of 31 new community-based mariculture parks, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, chairman of the House committee on fisheries and aquaculture, said.

The fresh funding, contained in the 2007 national budget, would enable the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to eventually double to 62 the number of mariculture parks in municipal waters countrywide, Villafuerte said.

Mariculture parks are integrated pond systems that make it possible for small fishers to breed high-value marine species in submersible cages. The systems are complete with support infrastructure, facilities and equipment.

The parks have empowered marginal fishing communities, allowing them to achieve significantly higher surplus production and income, while at the same time protecting marine wealth against excessive exploitation and destructive catching methods, according to Villafuerte.

Compared to fishponds, Villafuerte said mariculture parks are more cost-effective for small fishers, who can easily group themselves as start-up growers and obtain cheap financing from the state-run Quedan Rural Credit and Guarantee Corp.

"BFAR should ensure that subsistence fishers or even fishpond wage workers get first crack at becoming (park) cultivators and surplus producers. They should not be left out of the projects," Villafuerte said.