Samar project aims to reduce 40% postharvest fish loss | The Manila Times

THE AVERAGE postharvest fish loss in coastal communities along the Samar Sea, specifically in the Northern Samar and Samar provinces, amounts to 40 percent. This means that almost half of the fish caught in these seas are spoiled, wasted or thrown back into the water, their nonconsumption leading to economic loss and malnutrition in the affected areas. Oceana, the global organization dedicated to ocean conservation that commissioned the study that determined these findings, has launched a campaign to reduce said loss by about 30 percent in a couple of years.

The Fish in Nutrition Systems Campaign is taking place in the coastal community of Daram, Samar, where fishing is the primary livelihood of its 40,000-strong population. Daram's poverty rate of more than 40 percent is more than double the national average rate of 18 percent. About 4,742 fisherfolk earn roughly P8,000 to P10,000 a month. Aside from having one of the largest municipal waters in the Samar Sea, these challenging conditions are probably another reason why Oceana chose it for its campaign.