Dagupan to launch living fish museum
DAGUPAN CITY – This city known as the bangus (milkfish) capital, is set to formally launch a first-of-its kind living fish museum of indigenous fish found in its river during the Bangus Festival next month.
Emma Molina, city agriculturist, said live fish species and fish structures that are locally known and found in this city are showcased in the half-hectare space along the coastal area of the Pantal-Calmay River.
It is one of the attractions featured in the Island Tours that is also set to be formally launched next month during the Bangus-Festival, the biggest festival in terms of activities and attendance in northern Luzon.
Some of those included in the living museum are “surewin”, “batik was” and “skylab”.
“Surewin” is a local term of small fishermen for a fish structure to indicate that fishes are sure to harvest, thus instant win.
It uses as its attraction leaves, especially from camachile whose small leaves easily fall. Algae then grow in small branches where fishes like malaga, pingaw, bolasi feed. The net is lifted after two weeks for the harvest.
The other is batikwas or lift net. Its mode of operation is to put a lighted lamp and a bait to attract fish. The net is lowered and at dawn, the net is lifted and the fish would go down to a pocket-like portion of the structure.
There is also a skylab that looks like a rocket made of bamboo poles with net which faces where the water flows so that fish could easily get in.
“It’s a living fish museum because all the fishes caught there in the gears or structures are alive,” Molina said.
She said visitors could interact with the fishermen who would explain their craft.
Around the area is also an oyster zone about six to seven hectares wide. This used to be the area occupied by fishpens that were dismantled by the city administration of Mayor Belen Fernandez.
Oysters, during harvest season, yield about 100 petro cans a day here, Molina said.
There is also the tala-isdaan or a combination of talaba and isdaan mixed in one culture area.
“These structures are not given so much attention but they are very educational, very local, very Dagupan,” Molina said.