Complain about the weather, but Navotas fishermen like it hot

Not everyone is complaining about the record-high temperatures.

Small fishermen and big fishing companies in Navotas City, for example, are actually savoring the hot weather that is driving everyone else mad, since it results in a bigger catch.

Men (and women) of the sea know it well: High water temperatures tend to drive schools of fish closer to the surface— and closer to their nets.

One can easily tell even on land that local fishermen are taking advantage of this: Vessels that have gone idle over the past several months are now out in the sea again, said Alexis A. Inocentes, chief of harbor operations at Navotas Fish Port Complex.

“Higher temperatures also mean that there will be no big waves in the sea,” Inocentes explained.

For the past few weeks, he said, four to eight commercial vessels return to the fish port daily loaded with 1,000 to 10,000 tubs of fish.

Before the onset of summer, only about two vessels would haul in that much bounty on a daily basis. ‘’And there were even some boats that came back with nothing to unload,” he added.

Yolanda Belnas, a statistician at the fish port’s market division, said that from April 1 to 29 an estimated 330,000 tubs of fish were unloaded, compared to the mere 200,000 tubs that were recorded for the entire January-February period.

She said that with the sizzling temperatures, the fishing industry and all its stakeholders are sizzling with activity and profits as well.

“Just go to the markets at night and you’ll see what I mean,” Belnas said. Kristine Felisse Mangunay