USAID’s ‘Fish Tiangge’ offers online shopping for seafoods

Buying fish or seafood is possible through an online platform, another way to avoid going out of the house amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) community quarantine.

The online platform — Fish Tiangge— was developed by the United States government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID). This online marketplace enables 6,000 Filipino fisherfolk to sell their produce to buyers in more than 300,000 households in three of the Philippines’ most important areas for marine biodiversity: South Negros and Visayan Sea in the Visayas region, and the Calamianes Group of Islands in Palawan.

Created as part of USAID’s Fish Right project, the publicly-accessible Fish Tiangge was first launched by Silliman

University in Dumaguete City in early April, enabling buyers to purchase fish directly from sellers and delivered by dedicated pedicab drivers.

Silliman University monitors Fish Tiangge to ensure that no prohibited fish products are sold and that fish are sourced from fishers registered in their localities.

“By connecting fishers and consumers online, the US government is helping to protect fisherfolk income and prevent a food crisis, while ensuring that conservation measures are not compromised in areas that are hard-hit by COVID-19,” said US Ambassador to Manila Sung Kim.

Kim assured that the US government will continue to work with local partners to help Filipinos manage the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic while protecting the Philippines’ marine environment.