CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Dec. 3 (PNA) -– The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has allocated PHP120 million for crab production in the country, BFAR 10 Regional Director Visa Tan Dimeren said on Thursday.
Dimeren said BFAR Director Asis G. Perez made the disclosure during his visit in the city in November which aims to assess the status of the crab and prawn production in Northern Mindanao.
She said that the amount would be utilized for Crab Fattening and Soft Cell Crab Production in the country.
Misamis Occidental could get a bigger slice of the fund due to the existing prawn and crab farming in the area, Dimeren added.
The official identified the cities of Tangub and Ozamis whose coastal areas lie along Panguil Bay as the pilot areas of the project.
According to Dimeren, the coastal areas of the Panguil Bay along the cities of Tangub and Ozamis were once the largest suppliers of crab and prawns in the country.
Crab and prawn production in the area diminished in recent years because of illegal fishing known as “Sanggab” (fine nets) where small crabs and prawns are caught prematurely, the BFAR official said.
She said that the BFAR and the local government units (LGUs) in Misamis Occidental and in Kolambugan, Lanao Del Norte are now jointly working to address the illegal “Sanggab” fishing.
“So far, the campaign against “Sanggab” has been initially successful following the destruction and seizure of about 1,000 “Sanggab” nets in the Panguil Bay area as of November this year,” Dimeren said. (PNA)