BFAR Trains Buluan Fisherfolk in New Bangus Cage Culture Technology

Daphne Santuyo

Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay — A group of small-scale fisherfolk in Barangay Buluan is being introduced to a potentially more viable livelihood option as the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) conducted a two-day technical training on bangus cage culture.

Members of the Buluan Small-Scale Fisherfolks Association participated in the Fish Cage Operations and Management for Bangus Grow-Out Culture training on July 30–31, 2026, aimed at equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to manage a marine fish-cage operation.

The training forms part of a ₱2.5-million BFAR assistance package for the association, covering the technical training, establishment of the fish cages and initial capital support for the beneficiaries.

During the opening program, Ipil Mayor Ramses Troy Olegario delivered a message of support, emphasizing the importance of livelihood programs that provide fisherfolk with sustainable sources of income and help strengthen local food production.

BFAR technicians introduced the participants to cage-based bangus production, a method of aquaculture already being practiced in various parts of the country. Unlike conventional fishpond operations, the system allows bangus to be raised in cages installed in suitable coastal waters.

The training covered the basic requirements for operating and managing the cages, including fish handling, feeding, monitoring, maintenance and other practices necessary to keep stocks healthy and achieve good production.

For Ipil Municipal Agriculturist Mr. Nelson G. Rezuena, the initiative comes at an important time as traditional fishpond operations become increasingly difficult for small operators to sustain.

Rezuena said fishpond operations are no longer as viable as they once were, making fish cages established along suitable coastal areas a potentially more practical alternative for local fisherfolk.

With Buluan being a coastal community, the cage-culture system could allow residents to make better use of available marine resources while shifting from dependence solely on capture fishing toward a more controlled form of fish production.

BFAR technicians described the technology as a newer approach to bangus culture that has already been adopted in other areas of the country.

The project is designed to go beyond the distribution of equipment. Beneficiaries are first being trained in the proper management of the operation before the establishment of the cages and the release of capital support, giving the association the technical foundation needed to run the enterprise collectively.

For the fisherfolk association, the intervention could provide an additional source of income while contributing to local fish production.

The success of cage culture, however, will depend heavily on proper management. Site suitability, water quality, stocking, feeding, regular monitoring, maintenance and disease prevention will all be critical once the cages become operational.

The Buluan project also reflects a broader shift toward aquaculture as a livelihood strategy for small-scale fisherfolk, allowing coastal communities to supplement traditional fishing with managed fish production.

Similar cage-based bangus projects have already demonstrated their potential in Zamboanga Sibugay. In Malangas, a fisherfolk association previously harvested more than four metric tons of bangus from a marine fish cage, generating more than half a million pesos from its first production cycle with BFAR assistance.

For Buluan, the current project is only beginning, but the goal is to turn the training and assistance into a functioning community-based enterprise.

With BFAR providing technical and material support and the municipal agriculture office assisting the beneficiaries, the project seeks to give Buluan fisherfolk a livelihood that makes productive use of the marine resources surrounding their community.