The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the country’s major river basins and lakes will be seeded with fingerlings of indigenous and non-invasive fish species over the next five years under its Project Balik Sigla sa Ilog at Lawa (BASIL) program. Under the program, an estimated 26 million fingerlings will be seeded in the rivers and lakes by next year which will translate to about 210 million fingerlings by the end of the current administration’s term eyed to make food supply more stable. DA secretary Emmanuel Piñol said he has ordered the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to design the program as “the country no longer has the same amount of fish population as it had many years ago when the use of chemicals in agriculture and illegal fishing methods like electric fishing and cyanide was not widespread.”

Program to rehab rivers, lakes launched. (2017, April 25). Malaya p. A1.