The river systems in the towns of Balungao, Bolinao and Malasiqui received fresh fingerlings in February.
Provincial Agriculturist Dalisay Moya said the continuing dispersal of tilapia fingerlings promotes the steady growth of the fishing industry that maintains the increasing production of quality fishery products while conserving resources.
This accounts for the year-round production of tilapia fingerlings in the government-owned hatcheries in Lingayen, San Quintin and Sta. Barbara that is augmented by fingerlings from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
“It reflects our current thrusts on sustainable production and resource conservation which makes Pangasinan as the leading producer in agriculture and fisheries contributing 87 percent of the region’s fish production in 2013,” Moya said.
Recently, BFAR conferred to Pangasinan the Gawad Pagkilala Award for the province’s efforts in restoring the bounty of the river system.
Pangasinan is the sole local government unit that BFAR recognised for its programmes significant impact in the protection, conservation and sustainable development in the fishing industry.
Fish dispersal to communal bodies of water is among the components of the agricultural programs of the provincial government that resulted to increased fish catch.
To date, the provincial government had a total of 3.22 million tilapia fingerlings dispersed since 2007 in 123 communal bodies of water throughout the province.
