Tags: Aquaculture, Cottage Industries
By Edzelle Pena
LUCENA CITY, QUEZON — Served with tomato, egg, hot coffee and garlic rice, dipped in vinegar with chili, who would let pass indulging in tuyo (dried fish) for breakfast?
Hawot, binislad, danggit, sapsap – these are just some of its popular kinds. Tuyo is one delectable dish that’s undeniably a favorite among Filipinos.
I met 57-year-old Rupert Sinohin who has been in the business of drying fish for three decades. A seaman by profession, Sinohin had the idea of venturing into the business through his wife, Melba. In Melba’s home province of Bicol, preserving fish has been a tradition and a source of livelihood for the locals.
In the 1980s, the couple started with 50 banyeras (fish bucket) of fish and processed them in a small lot in Brgy. Dalahican, Lucena City. Staying for long hours under the sun not minding the intense heat, the couple was able to grow their business through hard work and faith. Their four children received good education from top universities and they were able to enhance their level of living.
The Sinohins dry a wide variety of fish species like tunsoy, tamak, galunggong, tamban, dilis and sapsap. Except for galunggong, all the other species command higher prices. They get their supplies from Dalahican Fish Port, just a few kilometers away from their compound, and Manila. On the average, given a fine, sunny weather, they are able to ship 125 banyeras or 3,500 kilos of dried fish every two to four days. They sell this to merchants in Balot, Tondo Manila.
The process of drying fish is no easy task. It commands a great deal of attention. Plus, the whole procedure is highly affected by the weather. During the rainy months, the Sinohins incur a lot of losses because it takes too long for the fishes to dry.
Rupert shared with us the procedure of making tuyo. First, the fishes are washed thoroughly. In a 4ft x 8ft concrete container called tasikan, a mixture of water and salt are prepared. The Sinohins use around 18-20 sacks of salt for an average of 2,000 kilos of fish. The fishes are poured into the container and are left there for 24 hours. However, the soaking time depends on the kind of fish used, hence the smaller the fish, the lesser the soaking time. Soaked fishes are then arranged in bamboo trays called kaping and are left to dry under the sun. They are lined up on bamboo poles. Given a consistent, sunny weather, drying is completed in two days, after which they are left to cool in room temperature. Finally, the dried fishes are packed in boxes and are shipped to the market.
When we entered the compound, the stinky smell was overpowering. We saw a number of fishes still left to dry on the bamboo poles. The tasikan looked like a big container of patis or fish sauce. Several kapings containing dried fishes were piled up reaching as high as 4 feet.
Rupert shares that the key to surviving the industry is not being afraid to lose sometimes. In this kind of business, he said failure comes every once in a while yet one should not be discouraged. He added that flexibility, hard work and faith are keys to making the business grow.
Last year, during the storms Ondoy and Pepeng, the Sinohins incurred a huge loss amounting to millions of pesos. Their entire compound was flooded and a lot of the dried fishes supposedly ready for shipping were destroyed. And because it was always raining then, they had to stop the business for quite some time. This meant zero income for the family hence they were forced to acquire loans to be able to start again. Although they were able to salvage some of their equipment, Rupert said it was tough to start again from scratch.
Despite all these, when asked about his plans, Rupert said he wishes to continue the business.
“Wala naman kasi kaming ibang alam na hanap-buhay kaya hangga’t kaya, ito na lang ang gagawin namen.” (We don’t know any other means of livelihood so we plan to continue this as long as we can.)
Today, although still recovering from the effects of last year’s loss, the Sinohins continue to keep the business alive. Times may be rough but through faith and hard work, they believe fate holds a better future for them.
If you happen to visit Brgy. Dalahican in Lucena City, you would see a whole community doing the business of drying fish. This industry thrives due to the existence of a fish port in the area. It is also the perfect place to find fresh fishes which are sold at relatively lower prices.
To go there, take a bus to Lucena-Dalahican. The bus stops at the fish port. For independent motorists, take the Maharlika Highway going to Lucena. Drive to the town proper. Take the road leading to SM and turn right to Brgy. Dalahican.
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