TACLOBAN CITY – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Eastern Visayas, in partnership with the city government of Ormoc, will launch the P12-million Ormoc Mariculture (marine agriculture) Park in December 2025. Eight fisherfolk associations with more than 400 members are expected to benefit from the four units of circular HDPE (high-density polyethylene) fish cages and four units of HDPE modular fish cages, along with fingerlings and feeds for one cropping cycle. “The project aims to boost the production of milkfish (bangus) and other high-value fish species while empowering fisherfolk communities through sustainable mariculture practices,” BFAR Eastern Visayas regional director Dominador Maputol said in a statement Tuesday. The project’s initial beneficiaries are expected to start operations next month, coinciding with the mariculture park’s formal launching in Barangay San Juan. Maputol said the first harvest is projected for the second semester of 2026, contributing an estimated 38 metric tons to the region’s annual milkfish production. Ormoc City Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez committed to contributing 20 units of 5x5 bamboo cages as counterpart support, extending the project’s reach to individual fisherfolk households. BFAR, meanwhile, suggested the establishment of a local feed mill managed by the city government in the future, which could strengthen Ormoc’s aquaculture industry and provide more livelihood opportunities for coastal communities The launching will also highlight the Ormoc Mariculture Forum, which will gather service providers, input suppliers, post-harvest processors, and cage fabricators engaged in aquaculture technologies and materials. PNA PHOTO