Philippines fishers to establish seafood restaurant, turning area into ecotourism location

Jonathan Mayuga, Business Mirror ABS-CBN 17 Mar 08;

KABASALAN, Zamboanga Sibugay—A small group of municipal fishermen-turned-fish-cage operators in this town are going big time with their innovative livelihood projects, transforming their community into an ecotourism destination with the support of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Members of the Kalugpungan sa Gagmay Mangingisda sa Concepcion (KGMC) are planning to put up a seafood restaurant soon to promote their barangay as an eco-tourism destination. Besides creating additional employment, the initiative will also empower people in the community.

Roberto A. Ballon, KGMC chairman, said the restaurant will serve cultured grouper fish, oyster or talaba and freshwater crabs.

KGMC, or the Small Fisherfolks Association of Concepcion, is composed of 251 agrarian-reform beneficiaries belonging to the Greenfields agrarian reform community.

Through the help of the DAR-Western Mindanao Community Initiative Project (WMCIP), KGMC’s 251 members who used to be municipal fishermen made a complete turnaround, as they started to culture talaba, catch alimango, then later, invest in "high-end" fish-cage operation—culturing maya-maya and various species of grouper fish, legally.

"Before, we earned less than P100 a day. Our fishing methods were even illegal, considering we used nets that catch even the small fishes. We know it is illegal, but we have no choice. Through the DAR-WMCIP, we changed. Now, we are fish-cage operators," he said.

The fishing method, locally called sudsod, is destructive since it kills seagrass and the fishes’ natural habitat in the coastal areas.

Now, Ballon, who owns 12 floating fish cages, with his P50,000 investment now earns P8,000 to P10,000 net, on top of other sources of income such as culturing talaba and catching alimango.

Ballon boasts of receiving two national awards, including a Presidential Award for sharing his talaba culture technology to others. While others who culture talaba use bamboo pole as tulos, or rope that they hang underneath to allow talaba to grow, Ballon simply scatters them in the mud.

The talaba grow bigger and even taste better and juicier.

"I just tried it. To my surprise, it worked. So why need to invest to put up structures to culture them when they grow in the mud?" he said.

KGMC members have rights to a 17-hectare land situated in the coasts in barangay Concepcion.

In 2001, DAR, through the WMCIP, a United Nations-funded project under its International Fund for Agricultural Development Program, convinced them to help manage the marine coastal resources and start their own livelihood project, encouraging them to try fish-cage operation.

The group has undergone various seminars to strengthen their capacities, until members are confident enough to start their own livelihood projects. Recognizing the big demand for grouper fish, they agreed to culture the fish variety.

Ballon also organized KGMC, which now has more than two hundred members.

"From 10 members, we now have 251 members. We are doing good business," he said.

DAR-WMCIP provided KGMC financial support in the amount of P150,000 for the net and fingerlings, including payment for their training.

From six floating cages when they started in 2001, there are now a total of 42 fish cages in the area.

Fish-cage operations generate jobs, according to Ballon.

While some of their members operate fish cages, others catch fingerlings which they buy at P25 each. Within six months, the grouper fish can be sold from P75 to P250 each, depending on the size and variety of the fish.

Ordinary grouper fish, which weighs less than half a kilo each, costs P65 each. However, those that weigh up to a kilo cost P130 each.

A fish cage can accommodate 200 fishes, with a 90-percent survival rate, which is much higher than those that come from hatcheries, according to Ballon.

They also buy what he calls "scraps," or caught fish that cannot be sold because they are either too small or damaged, at P15 a kilo.

Normally, he said, it will cost a fish-cage operator P3,000 for every 10 feet by 10 feet fish floating cage for the entire season.

To protect their livelihood, KGMC volunteered to help protect the marine coastal resources, including the all-important bakawan or mangrove which they planted. The bakawan serve as natural habitat and protection from predator for young and small fishes.

"People used to laugh at me, because they saw me planting mangroves. They even teased me, saying they will be the ones to cut them later when they mature," he said.

Fortunately, the local government of Kabalasan passed a resolution that provides permanent protection to the mangrove forests in the coastal barangay, as well as the entire town.

"We have a tie-up with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, that’s why we can move freely. Otherwise, all our livelihood projects here will not be possible," he said.

Mangrove trees now thrive, resulting in other benefits, including breeding freshwater crabs that could guarantee a P3,000 monthly income for every hard-working member.

"Lazy people don’t get anything. But those who work hard earn more than enough to feed themselves," he said.

The freshwater crabs are caught using traps with dried fish as bait during high tide.

"It is easy to catch those crabs. You just put the trap, put some dried fish, and wait for the high tide. In the morning, when the water subsides, you’ll have your crabs," he said.

Ballon said since they have their own source of fresh seafood, they conducted a study regarding the feasibility of establishing their own restaurant to sustain their livelihood.

So far, KGMC has constructed 15 cottages which have started to attract local tourists, who gave them the idea of serving those fresh maya-maya or lapu-lapu that they grow in fish cages, the talaba and those delicious freshwater crabs.

"If other seafood restaurants are making good business out of the fish we sell to them, why can’t we? This way, we can also help provide jobs not only to our families, but other people in our barangay," he said.