Armed with measuring sticks and survey forms, fishery technicians trekked to the coastal village of Bucana here last week to start the inventory of fishing boats as the Municipal Fishing Vessels and Gears Registration (BoatR) was launched in the Davao Region. The BoatR, a nationwide program of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), is intended to fast-tack the registration of municipal fishing vessels as required under Executive Order No. 305 s. 2004 and Section 19 of Republic Act 8550 or the Fisheries Code of 1998. A Fisherfolk Registration (FishR) program is also ongoing to keep track of the population dependent on fishing and identify projects that will improve their livelihood.

Carillo, C. A. (2015, June 18). Gov't moves to identify, register fishing vessels. BusinessWorld, p. S1/11.