Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders
Tacloban City–Pushing forth the expansion of seaweed production areas in Eastern Visayas, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 8 (BFAR-8), through the Enhanced Philippine Seaweed Development Program (EPSDP), conducted a program orientation and site visit in Dawahon Island, Bato, Leyte on July 24-25, 2025.
The session brought together Provincial Fisheries Officers (PFOs) and seaweed nursery caretakers from across the region to align strategies, strengthen technical capacities, and coordinate the rollout of seaweed production expansion initiatives in the six (6) provinces of Eastern VisayasโLeyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar, Eastern Samar, and Northern Samar.
Participants also took part in the replanting of 15 metric tons of seaweed propagules on the island, which is expected to yield approximately 45 metric tons of seaweed, forecasted to significantly contribute to the continued growth of seaweed production in Dawahon. โAs of now, our island has 300 hectares of potential areas for seaweed expansion,โ shared Mr. Ruel Inoc, one of the regionโs top seaweed producers.
As of 2025, Eastern Visayas has a total of 1,207 hectares of existing seaweed production areas, with an additional 5,285 hectares identified as potential yet untapped, bringing the total farmable area to 6,492 hectares.
Through the orientation, BFAR 8 OIC Regional Director Dominador G. Maputol expressed his hopes that PFOs and seaweed nursery caretakers will fully leverage the opportunities provided by the BFAR 8 Enhanced Philippine Seaweed Development Program to develop and enrich the regionโs vast farmable areas. This effort aims to establish a sustainable source of livelihood and economic growth for thousands of fisherfolk in Eastern Visayasโreclaiming its former role as one of the countryโs top seaweed-producing regions.
๐ท More Photos: https://tinyurl.com/epsdporientationsitevisit
