Japanese fish cage technology attracts investments in typhoon Yolanda areas

A FISH cage technology of Japanese firm Nitto Seimo has attracted private sector investment in Samar and Leyte, two of the areas hit by super typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) in 2013. In a statement released yesterday, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which brought the technology through its Partnership with the Japanese Private Sector program, said private investors have already rented the fish cages and are employing displaced fisherfolk as caretakers, harvesters, cage cleaners, net installers, and transporters of harvested milk fish. Some of the typhoon-resistance cages are also operated through two other schemes: family-based fish farming where one family for every barangay operates the fish cage; and association-based. JICA said the project is estimated to have created over 700 jobs. Nitto Seimo has also trained 178 fishermen and members of local government units on using the fish cages that are made of high-density polyethylene and submerged by filling with seawater to avoid damage caused by wind and waves. “Our partnership with Nitto Seimo shows that we can leverage on the technology made by Japanese companies to address development issues in the era of massive climate change,” said JICA Representative Jin Hirosawa.