WWF-Philippines launches new task for tuna fishers
Adhering to the certification of 5 Occidental Mindoro municipalities beneath the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) last Oct 2021, Earth Vast Fund for Character (WWF) Philippines introduced a new venture to tackle submit-harvest decline of tuna and income diversification amongst tuna fishers.
Project Buhay: Tuna Habambuhay, Dagdag Hanapbuhay focuses on sustainable tuna and different livelihoods for tuna fishers and ladies.
The venture has two principal factors – Tuna Habambuhay, which pertains to sustainable tuna, and Dagdag Hanapbuhay, which addresses alternative livelihoods.
“The major targets of the project involve assisting tuna fishers gain additional from their catch by improving upon merchandise high-quality and submit-processing to lessen wasted tuna, and diversifying their earnings by introducing feasible alternative livelihoods whilst empowering females to control these livelihoods,” stated. Melody Melo-Rijk, Project Buhay’s Job Supervisor.
The undertaking aims to support protected investments and money funding to support these recognized livelihoods, and to share local community stories, best tactics, and classes realized to inspire replication in other communities and businesses.
WWF-Philippines has been empowering the local tuna fishing communities in Occidental Mindoro to arrange, via strengthening the tuna fishing associations, and instructing sustainable fishing tactics in the earlier ten years.
Berny Castillano, the present President of the Occidental Mindoro Federal Tuna Federation Affiliation (OMFTFA) has labored with WWF-Philippines due to the fact the early levels of the job. He experienced usually felt that the fisherfolk sector is an often missed sector in the culture,with incredibly small support becoming received from the government. With the assistance of WWF-Philippines, the OMFTFA was established, and this led to the generation of the Occidental Mindoro Tuna Management Approach and the Integrated Fisheries and Aquatic Source Management Council (IFARMC) which strengthened the government illustration of tuna fishers. WWF-Philippines also conducted a Fisheries Enhancement Method (FIP) and other efforts that culminated in earning the MSC certification in 2021, the initially in the Philippines.
Even with these successes, tuna fishers nonetheless encounter a multitude of challenges that WWF-Philippines hopes to reduce with Project Buhay. Some of which are the shortage of very good quality ice and chilly storage, non-operational Local community Fish Landing Facilities, and profits insecurity from expanding costs and fluctuating tuna price ranges.
A launch celebration for the challenge was previously held in Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro for the municipalities of Mamburao, Paluan and Sta. Cruz on July 19, when a next run of the celebration was held in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro for the municipalities of Sablayan, Rizal and Calintaan on July 21. Both situations were being attended by associates from the Provincial Authorities of Occidental Mindoro, Local Government Models of the six municipalities, Integrated FARMCS, Women’s Team Cost savings Loan Committees, Provincial Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Methods (BFAR), Occidental Mindoro Tuna Federation and Tuna Fishers Associations.
For the duration of the start, Paluan Mayor Michael de Ocampo Diaz and Conchita Roldan, Regional Fisherfolk Director of BFAR’s Mangingisdang Direktor Application, equally pledged to guidance the challenge and to keep on aiding the tuna fishers of Mindoro. In the meantime, Sablayan Mayor Walter Marquez vowed to revisit present policies that shield and assist fisherfolk and their implementation.
Project Buhay, with the international name of “Mindoro Strait Sustainable and Equitable Tuna for Bankability”, is funded by the European Union through their Swap Asia Grants Programme. The Member States of the European Union have determined to link alongside one another their know-how, means and destinies. With each other, they have constructed a zone of security, democracy and sustainable progress while preserving cultural diversity, tolerance and unique freedoms. The European Union is dedicated to sharing its achievements and its values with nations around the world and peoples outside of its borders.
This write-up was produced with the economical support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole obligation of WWF-Philippines and do not necessarily replicate the views of the European Union.
