Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on Wednesday, Oct. 2, urged Negrense fisherfolk to harvest blue swimming crabs that are in the right size to ensure their sustainability.
Lacson said that they have been encouraging fisherfolk to harvest BSCs that are in the right size and not those that are still crablets.
Lacson together with Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region VI Director Remia Aparri, and Manapla Mayor Manuel Escalante III led the launching of the Blue Swimming Crab (BSC) Model Village in Brgy. Tortosa, Manapla, on Sept. 27.
“We committed the community to harvest when they are in the right size”, Lacson said, adding “If we continue to harvest any size, we will run out of supply”.
The BSC Adopt-a-Village Project is a Public Private Community Partnership, initiated as a pilot implementation of the BSC National Management Plan. It aims to ensure the sustainability of crab resources and increase community engagement in the conservation and protection of the commodity and improvement of Seafood Watch rating.
Lacson said that Public-Private-Community Partnership is a powerful approach to addressing complex social, economic, and environmental challenges. It creates a more integrated and effective approach to community development and innovative solutions, he said.
Also present at the activity was Provincial Agriculturist OIC Dr. Dina Genzola and Sagay City Councilor Arthur Christopher Marañon, among others.*