Virgilio Geronimo of Tortosa village in Manapla, Negros Occidental prepares freshly caught blue swimming crabs for weighing as a staff from the local agriculture office looks on. The Tortosa Pumpboat Association is the proponent group of the first blue swimming crab production and marketing sub-project under the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP). The sub-project supports the government’s efforts to advance “blue economy,” which refers to a development approach anchored on sustainable development and utilization of marine resources and ecosystems.

(Photo by: Joseph Caldino, DA-PRDP)