Road To Fish Sufficiency! Western Mindanao Coastline Could Produce Enough Fish

Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat (Late Post) – After 46 years, I reached the coastal town of Palimbang once again last Saturday, accompanied by Filipino-American farmer-scientist Rocky French.
I was in Palimbang as a young government worker to deliver relief goods following the Tsunami which destroyed the whole town in August of 1976 caused by an Intensity 8 earthquake.
Seeing a modern and more-developed Palimbang made me appreciate the great potentials of the town and the other coastal communities in producing fish for the country.
The whole stretch over 1,000 kilometers of the Western Mindanao Coastline from Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat to Zamboanga City could produce enough fish to feed the country through a well-planned and sufficiently-funded aquaculture and mariculture program.
This was the conclusion that I and Filipino-American farmer-scientist Rocky French reached when we took a 2-day journey from General Santos City to Lebak, Sultan Kudarat March 25 and 26.
The coastline faces the fish-rich Moro Gulf to the west which stretches up to the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea to the southwest.
Since the whole Moro Gulf is a virtual cove which had not been affected by the yearly typhoons, the brightest prospects for fish production would be through fish cages.
In our estimate, only 3,000 fish cages producing 20-metric tons of Bangus every 5 months would be enough to fill up the country’s fish supply shortfall of 60,000.
Using modern technology, high value fish species like Grouper or Lapulapu could also be raised in fish cages along with Lobsters while Oysters and Sea Cucumbers could also be grown.
In the land areas near the coast, Vannamei farming and Crab production could also be the prospective mariculture activities.
Critical to the success of these programs would be focus of government resources to the sector, including the establishment of processing facilities and assurance of marketig assistance by government.
Enabling legislations are needed to achieve the dreamed Fish Self-Sufficiency and even attain the status of an exporting country.
Ito ang dahilan kung bakit kailangan natin magkaroon ng isang Senador na nakikita ang mga puedeng gawin upang makamit ang sagana at abot-kayang pagkain para sa pamilyang Pilipino.
#GovernanceIsCommonSense!
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!