MARAWI
CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 19 (PIA) --- The Bureau of Fisheries and
Aquatic Resources of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(BFAR-ARMM) is eyeing to top the national government’s boat registration
program.
“There are at least 10,000 municipal fishing boats
in the region that we would register,” said Janice Musali, BFAR-ARMM’s
director, noting the registration would eventually result in improved
performance of the region’s municipal fishery sector.
Compared
with other regions, ARMM has a bigger municipal fishery area with the
island provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan under its jurisdiction.
Musali
said it is estimated that up to 70 percent of the region comprises
municipal waters, or waters 15 kilometers from the coastline, that
provide livelihood to small fisherfolk in coastal communities.
The
registration program, dubbed ‘BoatR’, targets to document fishing boats
with capacities up to three gross tons. The drive, BFAR national
officials earlier told media, is aimed at capturing a more accurate
picture on production volume and type of fish caught in municipal waters
as well as the sector’s contribution to national and local economies.
The
program also seeks to determine projects that would be launched by the
government in order to help small fisherman and coastal communities. A
government-issued card would make it easier for boat owners to access
assistance from government agencies.
ARMM is currently
coordinating BoatR’s implementation with local government units, from
the provinces to towns and coastal communities.
The
region’s municipal fishery output in 2009, the latest available, was
roughly 104,000 metric tons, or about 12% of the 887,000 metric tons
total reported during that year. Such estimate would be more accurate
under the BoatR program.
Aside from the three island provinces
mentioned above, ARMM also includes Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao in the
main island of Mindanao. (Bureau of Public Information-ARMM/APB/PIA-10)
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