$209-M fisheries, coastal project starts in August

MANILA  -The government is slated to implement in August a $209-million project that will beef up the production and resiliency of the fisheries sector.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said the Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe) project funded by the World Bank, costing an equivalent of P11.42 billion, was preparing to take off.

FishCoRe intends to adopt the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management, enhance the value of fisheries production and lift the income of coastal communities through science, knowledge and technology.

The seven-year initiative is expected to benefit more than 1.15 million fisherfolk, small to medium enterprises, other fisheries stakeholders and residents in coastal communities across 11 regions and 24 provinces nationwide.

It will be implemented in two fisheries management areas (FMAs), FMA 6 and 9, major fishing grounds on the northwest coast of Luzon and in archipelagic waters between Visayas and Mindanao.

“Specifically, the project will support the development and implementation of appropriate fisheries management policies, improve institutional capacities for strengthened law enforcement, establish support facilities for the rehabilitation of coastal and marine habitats, and other necessary investments to balance increasing productivity while conserving the country’s natural resources,” BFAR said in a statement.

Satellite multi-species hatcheries, offshore mariculture in climate-resilient cages, postharvest handling and fish/shellfish processing and storage house for dried seaweed production, among others, will be constructed. INQ

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