DA-BFAR Caraga joins Consultation on the Regulation on Catching Puerulus Lobsters

For the past seven (7) years, the Municipal Local Government Unit (MLGU) of San Agustin in Surigao del Sur has visibly observed the existence of puerulus lobster in its municipal waters, a commodity which demand and market pricing are quite attractive and profitable. However, the method by which this species is caught raised a concern for the MLGU, despite the enacted RA10654 and its corresponding Fishery Administrative Order.

Thus, on April 22, 2021, a consultative conference was held in San Agustin, Surigao del Sur to discuss concerns on the catching of puerulus lobster, and its related governing laws and regulations. DA-BFAR Caraga OIC-Regional Director Nilo S. Katada, Ph.D., together with the Chief of the Fishery Inspection and Quarantine Service Mr. Hanawi B. Alauya, and the Provincial Fisheries Office of Surigao del Sur, attended the meeting, and provided significant insights and clarifications for the regulation of catching puerulus lobsters. Mayor Libertad O. Alameda and Municipal Agriculturist Genalyn Campos also graced the said consultation. It was participated by the barangay and municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Councils (FARMCs) and the buyer-consolidators of the said commodity.

As an impression, the MFARMC members were pleased by the presence of the Regional Director who delivered his viewpoints on lobster industry, and satisfied by the outcome that they were able to understand and agree not only on lobster issues, but even the use and zoning of municipal waters. The consultation output shall form part of the Coastal Community Alliance Unified for Sustainable Ecosystem (CCAUSE) Lobster Ordinance, wherein the MLGU San Agustin is an alliance member.