‘Ban-oitan’ tilt backs traditional fishing

Equipped with fishing rods, 11 teams of fishermen sailed outside the Hundred Islands National Park (HINP) here on Saturday to catch the biggest, heaviest or longest fish.

The competition, called “Ban-oitan ed Ciudad na Alaminos” (after “ban-oitan,” a Pangasinan term for line fishing), took place around Shell Island in Barangay (village) Pandan.

After four hours, five teams using motorized boats and two others on bancas propelled by oars, returned to shore with their catch to the delight of residents and guests at the Lucap wharf.

The team of Generoso Rañaga caught 11.2 kilograms of lapu-lapu (grouper), emperor fish, parrot fish and other species for the biggest catch award in the motorized boat category. It also snared the heaviest and longest fish, a 1.8-kilogram “layalay” (swordfish).

The team of Alfredo Ambuco won top honors in the nonmotorized boat category after landing 6.3 kg of fish. Danilo Palekpek’s team caught a 1.6-kg layalay to win first prize in the nonmotorized boat category.

But more than the cash prizes, the fishermen’s reward is the knowledge that the national park, a major tourist drawer in Pangasinan, is able to sustain their livelihood, city officials said.

Their catch was proof that, indeed, the HINP, declared a fish sanctuary years back, has regenerated its marine resources, Mayor Hernani Braganza said.

Now on its third year, the contest aims to promote hook-and-line fishing, which Braganza said, is a legal, safe and environment-friendly method.

“Through this activity, residents and guests manifest their concern for the sustainable conservation, protection and rehabilitation of the city’s marine environment,” he said.

Braganza said the ban-oitan also encourages residents and guests to appreciate fishing as a sport which, aside from being wholesome and therapeutic, is safe and eco-friendly as a family recreational activity.

Alaminos has been defending the 1,844-hectare HINP, dotted with 123 islands and islets, from commercial and illegal fishing activities. Fishing is allowed only outside the park.

“We defend our coastal waters from big-time illegal fishers to safeguard the interest of our [small] fishermen. Their abundant catch was a concrete proof that there’s now enough supply of fish in the waters of the HINP for these fishermen,” Braganza said.