Dried Porang Industry in Lakewood, Zamboanga Del Sur, Philippines

Abstract

Porang is a kind of small scaly fish, as small as anchovies which thrive in brackish water. In a lake in Lake Wood, Zamboanga del Sur, a group of fishermen survived for many years because of Porang fishing and dried Porang industry. This study was conducted to determine the current status of the dried Porang industry in Lake Wood, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. This is a normative-descriptive study employing observation, interview, and questionnaire techniques. The 120 fisherfolks who were directly involved in the dried Porang industry were the respondents of the study. It was found out that there were problems and challenges which the respondents and the industry were facing at present. One of the problems met was the slowly decreased of Porang in the lake. The result also showed that their practices especially the hygienic practices were not in conformity with the code of practice for processing and handling of dried fish as reflected in the Philippine National Standards. It is recommended that a seminar about proper handling of dried fish be conducted so that the fisherfolks will be aware of it, thus leading to sustainable dried Porang industry. It is recommended further that these fisherfolks would also be educated on the proper way of catching this kind of fish to avoid their possible extinction in the lake.