Even from afar, you can already see the wide smiles of the members of the Samahang Mandaragat ng Barangay Inapugan (SMBI) as they prepare to harvest their milkfish for their Microenterprise subproject in Pilar, Sorsogon. 

Some of the members went inside the fish pen and prepared the encircling net to catch the fishes, while others removed their harvest from the net to be weighed and recorded before transferring it to the buyer’s boat. 

In 2018, the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) funded a techno demo fish cage for the Milkfish Culture Microenterprise subproject with assistance from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Office of the Provincial Government of Sorsogon. The training aims to educate the members on the proper feeding and caring for their milkfish. The SMBI had three cropping’s on their techno demo fish cage which gave them ample time to learn and experience milkfish culture. 

After the techno demo, SMBI received production materials for their fish pen as part of their Milkfish Culture and Marketing Enterprise. They received  six (6) bundles of PE net, 520 pieces bamboo post, eight (8) pieces of anahaw post, 12 kilograms of nylon, 7.5 units of mask, two (2) units of rechargeable flashlight, one (1) unit of caretaker’s hut, and one (1) unit refractometer. SMBI also received 10,500 pieces of fingerlings, 16.5 bags of starter feeds, 115.5 bags of grower feeds, and 60.5 bags of finisher. 

“Kang nakaagi pong techno demo, duman po kami nakanuod saka nakakua ki guiya sa pag-ataman ki bangus. Ngunyan po ining sa fish pen na, tatao na kami kung ano ang dapat guibuhon, puon sa pagbahog pati pag-alaga sa fish cage,” SMBI President Lorenzo Jaquilmo said.

(When we had the techno demo, that’s where we learned how to take care of bangus. Now that we are using fish pen, we already know what to do from feeding to managing and maintaining our fish pen)

On March 10, 2020, SMBI was able to harvest a total of 1,873 kilos of milkfish with 300-350 grams per kilo, earning a total of PhP188,650.00 for their first harvest on their microenterprise subproject.

“Magayon po ang opportunity na naitao kang proyekto dahil nag-uswag man so Milkfish project mi pati nga su mga members. Happy kami na arog kani ang project na itinao samuya,” Jaquilmo added.

(The project gave us a good opportunity because our milkfish project had progressed as well as our members, we are really happy that they gave us this project)”.

The proponent group said that they will continue to culture milkfish using the money that they earned during their first harvest for their microenterprise project under the DA-PRDP Global Environment Facility (GEF).  Further, they will still do their duties and responsibilities as deputized fish wardens to rehabilitate and restore the marine habitat for their Marine Reserve and Fish Sanctuary.

GEF aims to increase the fish stocks and biomass of the GEF-covered Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and protect various trigger species present in the pre-identified sites. GEF related interventions include:  provision of additional and/or alternative source of income to marginalized fishermen, improving skills and capability of target proponent groups,  strengthening collaboration among key stakeholders, and updating Integrated Coastal and Fishery Resource Management Plans (ICFRMP) linking to sustainable aquamarine farming systems towards increase productivity and enterprise operations in the near future. 

(Michelle Angela G. Alfigura, DA-PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)

Members of the SMBI and the buyer weigh the fishes caught to record the total number of kilos harvested during their first harvest of their DA-PRDP-GEF microenterprise. (Photo by: Michelle Angela G. Alfigura, DA-PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)

Members of the SMBI helped to unload the tub full of their milkfish harvest to the buyer’s boat. (Photo by: Michelle Angela G. Alfigura, DA-PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)

The buyers of the milkfish started to gather around the fish pen with their large tubs ready to be filled with milkfish harvest. (Photo by: Michelle Angela G. Alfigura, DA-PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)

Members of the SMBI prepare the fishing net and other materials as they get ready for the milkfish harvest. (Photo by: Michelle Angela G. Alfigura, DA-PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)

The SMBI harvested more than 1.8 tons of milkfish; each kilo consists of 3 to 4 fishes, weighing 300-350 grams per piece. (Photo by: Rosechel Labilles, DA-PRDP NPCO GEF-NRM Unit)