The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources urges fishermen to venture into fish farming as weather condition in Philippines is increasingly unpredictable and debilitating. At the conclusion of Managing Director program of the agency in Davao City, BFAR director Malcolm I. Sarmiento, Jr. said that some 50 fisherfolk leaders from all over the country that the fisheries sector, particularly the municipal fisherfolk, is the most vulnerable to climate change.
Sarmiento in his report to Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap states that fish catch, particularly in the municipal and commercial fisheries sectors have been greatly affected by the erratic weather disturbances experienced by the country. Seventeen fisherfolk leaders led by Felizardo “Ka Zardo” Lim acted as BFAR’s national and regional Fisherfolk Directors during the month-long observance of the Farmers and Fisherfolks Month last May.
According to Sarmiento climate change is drastically affecting fishing, making fishing trips more perilous as fishermen are force to venture farther in the seas to catch fish. He added that climate change would definitely affect the fish stocks because the spawning habit of the fishes as well as their migratory patterns may change drastically. He explained that as the seas warm up, coral bleaching will also become more pronounced and harmful algal blooms will increase.
Sarmiento expressed that the technology of sea farming is simple and the fishermen could easily learn it. He further said that adoption of the technology does not require a lot from the fishermen since they are not weaned from their usual source of livelihood. Currently, the DA-BFAR has established 40 mariculture areas in collaboration with the local governments in strategic locations nationwide.
