Taguig City officials on Tuesday released some 125,000 tilapia fingerlings into the Laguna de Bay as part of the city’s 437th founding anniversary celebration.
The initiative spearheaded by the Taguig City Agriculture Office and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources – National Capital Region aims to boost the livelihood of local fishermen who depend on Laguna de Bay for their existence.
The efforts also seek to repopulate inland bodies of water and maintain the ecological balance of freshwater fish in the lake.
Mayor Laarni Cayetano joined the activity and reaffirmed her commitment to support Taguig’s fishing industry.
She expressed gratitude for Taguig’s history, emphasizing the importance of farming and fishing as main livelihoods. She promised to support 2,000 fishermen who currently benefit from the Lake of Laguna and will continue creating programs for their benefit.
In 2020, the local government also signed an agreement with the Department of Agriculture for the implementation of the Urban Agriculture Project (UAP).
Taguig recognized the importance of promoting urban agriculture as a measure to address the stability of food supply, alleviate poverty, foster social integration among communities, and protect the environment through eco-friendly methods.
BFAR provides hands-on training to showcase various urban aquaculture techniques for its urban dweller beneficiaries and will serve as a community gene bank to sustain food production for its constituents.