Up to 2,400 species of small pelagic fishes like galunggong, tunsoy, tawiles,hasa-hasa, and matangbaka in the waters of Palawan and Manila Bay are targeted for tagging and coding under a joint research program that will formulate a sustainable management plan to help conserve 50% of the country's marine fish catch, a recent statement of Agriculture department read. In a report to Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap, Director Malcolm I. Sarmiento, Jr. of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said that tagging involves insertion of number-coded yellow tags at the base of the dorsal fins of fish. Last month, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, or SEAFDEC, and BFAR's National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) conducted a training workshop on tagging small pelagic fishes on board the M/V DA-BFAR and at the National Marine Fisheries Development Center in Navotas City.

Fish tagging program starts. (2008, January 16). BusinessWorld, p. S1/3.