BFAR preparing to exploit new fishing grounds in the Benham Rise

In anticipation of the abundant fishery production from the Benham Rise, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said that the government will establish post-harvest facilities and equipment in the provinces of Quezon and Aurora. The Benham Rise is a 13-million hectare sea region with the shallowest portion, at 35 meters, is off the provinces of Isabela and Aurora. In April 2012, the United Nations, confirmed that the rise was part of Philippine territory. "We will immediately start to put markers in the area. Benham Rise is a potential area for increasing our commercial fishing production. The government will provide the initial fishing investment and at present, 7 fishing vessels have already committed," said BFAR director Asis Perez. Perez projected that the fishing operations of the initial seven commercial fishing vessels could yield an estimated 70 metric tons of fish catch per fishing operation. BFAR will also deploy carrier vessels which will transport the fishermen's catch to the mainland, thus saving the fishing vessels the trouble of having to leave the area. BFAR's multi-mission vessel will also do regular monitoring and surveillance in the area to ensure that the fishing ground is safe from poachers and illegal fishers. Payao Meanwhile, the BFAR will assist fishermen in the municipal waters of the West Philippine Sea by spending P210 million for 1,400 payaos or fish aggregating devices. Each of the payaos to be deployed is worth P150,000. "The Payao is an effective fishing device invented here in the Philippines. This will not just increase the production but also provide livelihood and this time, the government will provide the initial fishing investment," said Perez. "The deployment of these payao will provide our fishers with marked spots where the prime class of fish species congregates. This will help them avoid waste fuel loitering in the sea in search for good catch," Perez added. Around 49 of the payaos were deployed in the municipal waters of Quezon province and some 66 units will be deployed in the Benham Rise. "We already anticipated the impact of the closed season on fishermen so we installed the payaos," Perez explained further. The fish aggregating device attracts small fish that feed on algae that cling to the payao. Bigger fish will then be attracted to the area. — DVM, GMA News