by Christine Lyn G. Viajante

MAMBAJAO, Camiguin (Aug. 27) — Some 30 enumerators and data analysts of the National Stock Assessment Program (NSAP) in region 10, as well as reproductive biology staff under the Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe) Project FCU-10, reinvigorate methodologies in stock assessment here in a three-day capacity-building and workshop initiated by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 10 (BFAR-10).  

The workshop, led by resource speakers from the Department of Agriculture-National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (DA-NFRDI), was designed to enhance and update the participants on the new marine sciences and methodologies used in stock assessment as a “critical component” in fisheries management.

DA-NFRDI’s NSAP focal, Nicko Amor Flores, assessed the participants’ prior knowledge of the training’s overall topics following the introduction to the concept and principles lecture.

Flores emphasized the theories, importance, and implications of accurate data collection.

“Sana naiintindihan natin lahat kung bakit kailangan natin ng refresher and updating every now and then kase nag-eevolve palagi ang panahon pati narin ang gears na ginagamit ng mga mangingisda, kalidad ng tubig-dagat at uri ng mga isda na hinuhuli,” Flores explained.

Aside from the theoretical learning, the participants will have hands-on simulations and market surveys in the following days, allowing them to apply their newly acquired knowledge in a controlled environment. 

Further, the market survey activities will help the participants understand the diversity of fish species available, the use of different fishing gears, and the importance of accurate data collection in fisheries management.

NSAP-10 project head, Princess Mae T. Cena, said that the scope of the capacity building includes sampling methodology, fish taxonomy, and morphology, identification of pelagic and demersal species, the recognition of sharks, and rays, and in-depth discussions about the different fishing gears.

“Our goal is aligned with the bureau’s commitment to enhance our enumerators’ skills with the necessary trends and refreshers to assess fish stocks accurately. This, in turn, helps in formulating sound management strategies that ensure the sustainability of marine resources not just in the region, but for the whole FMA-9,” Cena stressed.(CLViajante//BFAR-10)