Some 30 fisherfolk in the Agusan del Sur town of Bunawan who make a living out of the marine resources of the Agusan Marsh received brand new paddle boats from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Caraga Region (BFAR-13) on Monday (February 3).

In a statement on Tuesday, the BFAR-13 information office told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that most of the recipients of the fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) paddle boats were fishers from the villages of San Marcos and Nueva Era.

The FRP boats are non-motorized with a length of 17 feet and were funded under the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) program of BFAR-13.

The distribution activity on Monday was led by BFAR-13 Asst. Regional Director Edgardo P. Balambao and Bunawan Mayor Sylvia Elorde.

Elorde urged the beneficiaries to use the new boats to increase their catch and income. She said the support to the fishers is a way of eradicating illegal fishing, particularly electro-fishing that endangers the water resources in the marshland.

BFAR-13 Assistant Director Balambao also assured the fisherfolk of the continued support of BFAR-13 to their endeavors for increased productivity and income.

The SAAD program is designed to help alleviate poverty among the marginalized sectors on agriculture and fishery, to increase food production and reduce poverty in the country.

Caraga Region is among the priority areas of SAAD.

BFAR-13 also conducted a monitoring activity to other SAAD programs in Agusan del Sur on Monday, particularly in the town of San Luis, where around 4,500 tilapia fingerlings are presently stocked in a fishpond in Barangay Nuevo Trabajo in San Luis.

The fishpond was developed and owned by the Doña Flavia Farmers Association in the area. (PNA)