Lantangan boats to be given to DavOr coastal community

IN a bid to commercialize the tuna industry in Davao Oriental, espcially in Governor Generoso, lantangan boats (mother fishing boats) will be given to the Muslim coastal community in the municipality.

As Governor Generoso is one of the municipalities in Mindanao that has a good harvest of tunas, Provincial Governor's Office Chief of Staff for Davao Oriental Ednar Dayanghirang said they would want to further industrialize tuna fishing in Governor Generoso.

"We plan to do it by capacitating our fisherfolks by giving them lantangan. We are doing this because our fisherfolks are complaining that even the fisherfolks of General Santos come and fish at our area while our fisherfolks fish instead in the areas near Boston and Cateel already," Dayanghirang said.

He said a single lan-

tangan cost around P2.5 million. A lantangan is a huge fishing vessel measuring 80 feet long and comes with 20 to 40 smaller fishing boats. These smaller boats, when at sea, sail away from the mother boat and does the fishing of tuna. A single lantangan can also have 15 to 20 workers inside.

"These lantangan will employ different people, but its ownership will be of the community," said Dayanghirang.

Now, he said, they have already contacted a Marinalicensed boat builder based in Governor Generoso to build a boat to be awarded to the fisherfolks of Brgy. Talisan.

Aside from this, they also have plans of establishing a fishport in Governor Generoso. Currently there are about 5 to 6 fishing private companies in the municipality.

Dayanghirang was not able to give further details about the planned fishport but said that it would be part of their objective of improving their tuna industry.