By Rollin Dave M. Elloren

Cagayan de Oro City, (Feb. 14)  — To improve data collection, monitoring and evaluation and profiling of aquafarms in Northern Mindanao in line with the Aquaculture Development and Management Plan (ADMP), 54 newly hired Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe) enumerators under the FMA Coordinating Unit 10 (FCU-10), successfully underwent a two-day orientation on Aquaculture Fisheries Geospatial Information System (AqFGIS) application at Deluxe Hotel from February 11-13, 2025, this city.

Spearheaded by the Regional Project Implementing Unit 9 (RPIU-9) under the Fisheries and Coastal Resilient Resource Planning and Management (FishCRRM) Sub-Component (SC) 1.2, the activity targets to establish an Aquaculture Registry (AquaR) system within a two–month period for a more systematic information management.

RPIU SC 1.2 Focal Vianney Anthony Gapuz, emphasized the need to gather baseline data for formulating the ADMP and integrating it into existing Local Government Unit (LGU) coastal zoning, resource management, and comprehensive land use plans (CLUPs).

“Since the LGU has jurisdiction over municipal waters, registration is required as part of establishing our aquaculture registry system, and this process will help us gather essential data on aquafarms,” Gapuz said.

The orientation covered key topics, including office policies relevant to the enumerators’ duties, installation of the ArcGIS Survey 123 app, the aqua farm inventory program, and its operational guidelines during the fieldwork.

In addition, representatives from the Provincial Fisheries Offices (PFO) of Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental presented their respective aquaculture dynamics and fisheries profile, which will provide the enumerators with crucial background information for the fish farm inventory program.

The event concluded with a simulation workshop, allowing participants to gain hands-on experience and familiarize themselves with the practical aspects of fieldwork. The simulation provided better understanding and appreciation of the data collection process through interviews and FGDs to gather critical and relevant data in the field.