Isabela has enough fish to feed Cagayan Valley, study says

TUGUEGARAO CITY — The coastal waters of Isabela province are big sources of marine life that could supply the fish requirements of Cagayan Valley region, according to a study commissioned by the national stock assessment program of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

The province’s seacoast “is rich in untapped fisheries and marine resources and also has extensive sea grass beds and coral reefs that are home to variety of fish species,” the study said.

Isabela waters, it said, are rich in sardines and mackerel and have sizable chunks of oceanic tunas, which thrive throughout the year.

“The fishing ground has 238 marine fish species … High species diversity could be an indication that the habitat is still good and undisturbed,” the study said. —Villamor Visayas Jr.