CEBU CITY – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Region 7 (Central Visayas) said the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has taught ingenuity to fishermen, many of whom are now embracing information technology to market their catch.

Dr. Allan Poquita, BFAR-7 regional director, said his office has monitored a growing number of fishermen and other individuals in the region that have resorted to online selling of seafood products to earn a living amid the health crisis.

He attributed this to the difficulty of some fisherfolk in bringing their products to the market due to the quarantine measures imposed in many areas.

“We are happy that people are venturing into this enterprise to cater to the needs of people in their localities nowadays,” he said during a virtual talk show hosted by the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas over the weekend.

Provincial fishery officers in Central Visayas, who also joined the online talk show, shared the same observation, saying that many people have responded to the crisis by either selling seafood online or peddling them on the streets.

Bohol provincial fishery officer Candido Samijon said they have recorded more than 1,000 people in the agricultural island who have been peddling fish products in recent months in high-traffic areas like Tagbilaran City.

“People selling seafood online is also increasing here,” he said in Cebuano.

The BFAR-Cebu office is also encouraging people to explore income opportunities in fish selling, especially at this time when many livelihoods have been lost during the crisis.

Meanwhile, BFAR-7 is set to increase fish production in Central Visayas through the provision of fingerlings and technical assistance to small-scale fisherfolk and their organizations.

Poquita said the plan is in response to the call of Agriculture Secretary William Dar to refocus the agency’s programs in order to respond immediately to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic to the fishery sector.

The agency has also stepped up its regular price monitoring, fishing boats distribution and constant dialog with fisherfolk groups to ensure the fishery sector’s sustained contribution in the government’s food security program, he said.

There are more than 100,000 registered fisherfolk in Central Visayas, according to BFAR-7 data. (PNA)