BFAR, Coast Guard deploy fish carrier to West Philippine Sea

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'The objective is to make sure that the Filipino fishermen will be encouraged to fish in the West Philippine Sea and to go further out,' says Commodore Jay Tarriela

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Philippine Coast Guard have deployed a fish carrier to the West Philippine Sea to buy fresh catch from Zambales fishers.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), said this support can minimize logistical difficulties of bringing catch back to the port, encourage fishing activities and increase supply, and ideally lead to lower prices.

“The objective is to make sure that the Filipino fishermen will be encouraged to fish in the West Philippine Sea and to go further out, not just on our territorial sea,” Tarriela told reporters in a mix of English and Filipino on Friday, May 9.

Tarriela said the vessel sailed Thursday, May 8, and is currently in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc off the coast of Zambales. The PCG official said they target to expand this project, called “Kadiwa sa Kanlurang Karagatan Program” to fishers in Palawan.

As of Friday, the vessel was carrying 10 to 15 tons of fish, said Tarriela. The vessel can reportedly store catch up to a hundred tons.

The deployment of the fish carrier can slash down operational costs of small-scale to medium-scale fishers by 40%, BFAR spokesperson Nazario Briguera estimated.

“We’re actually upgrading the capacity of the fishing vessels,” Briguera said in the same presser. The BFAR official pointed out the fish carrier provides bigger storage and takes care of transport to ports.

As far as BFAR is concerned, the fish carrier in West Philippine Sea can help put more affordable food on the table and augment fishers’ incomes.

Asked about security concerns, Tarriela said their top priority remains the Filipino fishermen’s safety in these waters. He said there is a “vast area” in the vicinity waters of Bajo de Masinloc free from Chinese ships.

Just days before, the Armed Forces of the Philippines reported Chinese Navy vessels harassing Philippine ships near Bajo de Masinloc.

“This KKK na ginagawa natin ngayon, malayang nakakapangisda mga Pilipino, nakakapagpalitan tayo ng kanilang mga fresh catch, and yet wala namang PLA Navy or China Coast Guard na nangha-harass,” he said.

(This KKK we’re doing now, Filipinos are free to fish, we are buying their fresh catch, and there are no People’s Liberation Army Navy or China Coast Guard harassing us.) – Rappler.com