The Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) Provincial Fishery Office of Zamboanga Sibugay (PFO ZSP), in coordination with the Ipil Municipal Agriculture Office, has taken the lead in transporting and transferring 1,750 pieces of Seeded Oyster (Talaba) Spat Collectors for the 3 units Raft module under the National Shellfish Development Program intended for the Purok Lugit Fisherfolk Association (PLFA) of Purok Lugit, Barangay Pangi, Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay. These spat collectors were sourced out from the identified oyster beds of Concepcion, Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay, maintained by the Kapunungan sa Gagmayβng Mangingisda sa Concepcion (KGMC), on March 20, 2024.
The said seeded oyster spats are four months old and ready for grow-out farming until they reach marketable sizes. They also serve as a source of broodstocks for continuous breeding and fertilization of oyster species for sustainability. Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Roberto A. Ballon, Chairman of KGMC, spearheaded the facilitation and hand-over of the 1,750 pieces of seeded oyster spats to Romeo A. Tejeros, Association President of PLFA, and its members.
This initiative of DA-BFAR 9, with the support of LGU Ipil and KGMC, is a testament to a holistic approach in expanding oyster farm areas in Zamboanga Sibugay with a vision to contribute to sustainable farming and harvesting of oyster supplies, providing an alternative source of income for the project beneficiaries. The project ultimately aims to innovate accepted localized farming practices and revive the former status of the province as the Talaba Capital of the Philippines.
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