MAFAR conducts training on the assessment of coastal resources

COTABATO CITY- To ensure the efficient and effective delivery of services, particularly in conserving and protecting the region’s marine resources, the Fisheries Resources Management Division (FRMD) of MAFAR has conducted a training on coastal resource assessment on May 24-26, 2022.

The training aimed to capacitate and enhance the skills of the regional and provincial staff on the various tools, methods, and processes of coastal habitat assessment, which is vital in Coastal Resource Management (CRM) planning as well as in formulating fisheries profiles.

Director II for Fisheries Services, Macmod D. Mamalangkap, Ph.D. emphasized the importance of the said activity in creating reliable baseline data of the coastal resources in the region.

Moreover, he motivated the participants to give their attention to learning the different tools/methods and their actual application in the field to become fisheries experts in conducting the various assessment eventually.

He also expressed his gratitude to the invited resource speakers, Mr. Jesrel and Mr. Esperidio Sales, Jr. from the Bureau of Fisheries Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 12 and Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences Technology (ZSCMST), for sharing their expertise with the participants.

The 3-day training was composed of lectures/discussions, workshop exercises, and actual habitat assessment conducted in the Municipality of Datu Odin Sinsuat and Datu Blah Sinsuat.

25 participants were grouped for the various field assessment of mangroves, corals, and seagrasses. For corals, it was assessed and analyzed using the photo-transect method and coral point count with excel extension (CPCE), the mangroves utilizing the method of English et al., 1997 and seagrass using the point intercept transect (PIT) method.