CEBU CITY — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-Central Visayas (BFAR 7) appealed to the public to dispose of used face masks properly.
BFAR 7 issued the appeal when it celebrated the International Coastal Cleanup Day last Sunday, September 19.
The BFAR-7 said used facemask were among the of 772 kilograms of garbage that were collected from the eight separate coastal cleanups in the region from September 13 to 17.
The provincial fishery offices and the field facilities of BFAR Region 7 initiated the cleanup drive in their respective areas to mark the celebration of the 58th Fish Conservation Week, which is an annual event held every third week of September.
The BFAR 7-Ubay Brackishwater Fish Farm in Ubay town, Bohol kicked off the weeklong observance with the holding of the coastal cleanup on September 13.
The same personnel collected 375 kilos more of garbage when it held another cleanup drive on September 14.
The BFAR 7 - Bohol Provincial Fishery Office, together with the BFAR 7 - Central Bangus Hatchery, collected 10 sacks or 40 kilograms of plastic wastes in Pangangan Island in Calape, Bohol.
The BFAR 7-Clarin Freshwater Fish Farm (CFFF) in Clarin, Bohol and the BFAR 7 - Multi-Species Hatchery (MSH) in Medellin,Cebu collected a combined 120 kilos of garbage in their respective cleanup drives.
On September 15, the BFAR 7 - Carmen Brackishwater Fish Farm in Carmen, Cebu gathered 75 kilograms of garbage from the coastal area near the station in Barangay Cogon East.
The BFAR 7 - Negros Oriental Provincial Fishery Office counted 15 sacks of garbage, which have an estimated weight of 100 kilograms, during the cleanup it facilitated in Sitio Canday-ong, Barangay Calindagan, Dumaguete City.
The two Bohol facilities, namely, the BFAR 7 - Central Visayas Multi-Species Nursery Demonstration and Training Center in Calape and the BFAR 7 - Multi-Species Hatchery in Ubay, gathered three sacks or about 20 kilograms of plastic waste and 10 sacks or around 42 kilograms of garbage and debris, respectively.
Apart from face masks, other wastes collected were plastic containers, food wrappers, glass bottles, diapers, worn-out garments, tin cans, and styrofoam.