ILOILO CITY (PIA) -- Stakeholders in Western Visayas recently gathered for a three-day data mapping workshop to identify the best available information on the blue swimming crab in the region.

The Technical Working Group, functioning as the core team, has crafted the pilot implementation strategy for the Blue Swimming Crab National Management Plan – the Adopt-a-Village Project, which commenced in the Island Barangay of Igbon, Concepcion, Iloilo.

"A critical component of our “Adopt-a-Village” work plan is the establishment of a robust database system encompassing ecological, socio-economic, and governance-related data. While we do this, let us think of the communities that will benefit from our work," said Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Regional Director Remia A. Aparri in her message.

harvesting of “juvenile crabs” and egg-bearing females that have resulted in the decline of the crab population, prompting conservation concerns in the Visayan Sea.

To achieve the yellow rating, it must at least address the need for blue swimming crab data collection, transparency, overfishing, adoption of best fishing practices, and compliance with fishery laws, among others.

With this, participants engaged with experts, researchers, innovators, and extension workers to collaboratively produce a complete map of vital information.

The workshop encompasses the establishment of a comprehensive understanding of data collection responsibilities, governance frameworks, transparency, application, and accountability.

Partners from the academe such as the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), Northern Iloilo State University (NISU), Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST), and the State University of Northern Negros (SUNN) also imparted information to craft the data map.

The BFAR and Monterey Bay Aquarium's Global Program (MBA-GP) co-organized the activity in Iloilo City, gathering representatives through the Public-Private-Community Partnership. (AAL/AGP/PIA 6)