Governance Innovations! Restocking Rivers, Lakes With Native Fish Species

Governance Innovations!
Restocking Rivers, Lakes
With Native Fish Species
In the face of dwindling catch of freshwater fish, I launched in 2017 the project BASIL or Balik Sigla sa Ilog at Lawa aimed at restocking the country’s lakes, rivers and creeks with fingerlings of endemic and non-invasive fish species.
Officially known as the National Inland Fisheries Development Program, BASIL aimed to seed the country’s lakes, rivers and creeks with an estimated 200-million fingerlings.
The national fish restocking program of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was launched on June 19, 2017 after it was approved and accepted by stakeholders of Laguna de Bay during a consultation held in the BFAR office in Quezon City.
The consultative forum which I personally presided was attended by about 50 stakeholders representing different groups including officials of the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), local government units, the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), the Dept.of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development, scientists from the University of the Philippines in Los Baños (UPLB), the National Agriculture and Fisheries Council (NAFC) and officers of the fisher folks group in Laguna de Bay.
LLDA General Manager Joey Medina headed a huge group of officials reprinting the government agency which manages the 90,000-hectare lake.
Project BASIL was designed because of the depletion of fish stocks in the country’s rivers and lakes because of illegal fishing, especially the use of electric rods.
Project BASIL made food accessible to poor families living near the lakes, rivers and creeks as an initial step to address poverty and ease the pressure on the country’s coastal fishing grounds which have been over-fished because of the reduced catch from inland fishing grounds.
Following the recommendations by the scientific community, the fingerlings seeded included the indigenous Ayungin, Biya, Kanduli and Guramei and non-invasive and commercially profitable species like Tilapia and Bangus, including freshwater shrimps or “Ulang,” native catfish and mudfish.
The LLDA committed to address the violations of commercial establishments located around the lake which dispose their effluence or wastes into Laguna de Bay.
The local government units were tasked to monitor the continued dumping of wastes into the rivers flowing into the lake while fisher folk groups were tasked to undertake the clean up of the lake by picking up wastes and plastics floating in the lake.
During a visit to Lumban, Laguna two weeks ago, fishermen said they benefited from Project Basil and asked government to continue the program.
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