BFAR Assistant Bureau Director Gil Adora, known as the “Father of Mariculture” in the Philippines and Congressman Antonio Cerilles were the special guests during the forum. BFAR presented the concept of the Mariculture Park and discussed as well as the cost and benefits of various investments in the park.

The Dumalinao Mariculture Park covers the coastal barangays of Pantad, San Agustin and Rebokon. Only 20 hectares have been initially offered for investments; the rest will be available for later use as the Dumalinao Municipality would like to see first the results of the initial investments.

The Dumalinao Mariculture Park is expected to generate employment and create other opportunities to alleviate poverty in this small town in Zamboanga de Sur. It is also envisioned that the Park will become an eco-tourism destination.

For demonstration purposes, BFAR will provide initial funding amounting to P2.5 million for fish cages that will be co-managed by BFAR and the municipal government. The amount will also cover expenses for capability training for cage fabricators, net sewers and post handling of products.

Also presented in the forum was the hydrodynamic model that was prepared by EcoGov to help Dumalinao plan and zone the mariculture park to keep it within its carrying capacity. The model considered water depth, nearshore circulation and tidal patterns and simulated sediment deposition foot prints to depict where feeds will be deposited and relative area of seafloor where excess organic material will accumulate. Using the model, overcrowding of various operations in the park that could lead to pollution and, eventually fish kills can be avoided.

The presentation drew the interest of BFAR Asst. Dir. Adora who suggested that similar studies should be conducted in other areas prior to the establishment of mariculture parks. “This is the kind of technical assistance that our local government needs. We all know that there’s limited expertise at the local level, and if other projects could provide such assistance, I believe many mariculture parks will succeed, not only economically but also ecologically.”

“Having such information is crucial in helping local governments make the right decisions when it comes to the management of their resources,” added Congressman Cerilles, a former secretary of the DENR.

Lindley Herrera, Fisheries Develop-ment Division Chief of the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Agriculture’s Office said that establishing mariculture parks is one way to reduce pressure on capture fisheries. Instead of engaging in illegal fishing activities, fishermen, big or small, could augment their livelihood with the earnings they could get by investing in mariculture activities. According to Herrera, mariculture offers a high return of investment.

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