Bigger, sturdier fishing vessels crucial to Filipino fishers' productivity in WPS, Agri exec says
Improving the traditional old and small fishing vessels of local fishermen is key to achieve better yield, especially in the fishing grounds at the West Philippine Sea (WPS), an official from the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

"Over the years, we have not really improved on our fishing vessels," DA Undersecretary Cheryl Marie Natividad-Caballero said during a virtual presser on Friday, Aug. 27.
Caballero explained that the improvement of vessels has been identified as among the crucial interventions that must be provided to fisherfolks to widen their opportunities.
"In terms of harnessing the resources in the ocean, we know for a fact that, of course, most of the municipal fisherfolk are confined within the municipal waters," the undersecretary said.
"So right now, in looking at ways to really improve our ability to fish effectively, we have to elevate the game and help improve the fishing vessels that our fisherfolk have been using," she added.
She further said that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has been looking for ways to bring in a more proactive partnership with municipal fisherfolk and commercial fisherfolk "so they will no longer be confined in one area alone."
The agency offers improvement of fishing vessels to bigger and sturdier vessels and works through clusters and organizations in terms of managing larger fishing vessels, Caballero noted.