While commending the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) during the celebration of its 78th anniversary on Saturday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. urged agency officials and staff to sustain their good work by further scaling up the delivery of services to meet the needs of the country’s fisherfolk.

The Department of Agriculture secretary praised BFAR’s longstanding contributions to rural development but reminded the bureau that its real success lies in how it transforms lives in coastal communities. “This celebration is not for us alone — it is for the fisherfolk we serve and the marine resources we are entrusted to protect,” he said.

With the theme “Ahensyang Aksyon Agad,” this year’s anniversary was both a tribute and a challenge — recognizing the bureau’s legacy while pushing for results-driven service.

Laurel emphasized the importance of streamlining government processes to enable BFAR to respond swiftly to crises on the ground and anticipate future threats to food security and ocean health.

“The nature of government work is unending,” Laurel said. “There will always be more boats to deliver, more fingerlings to distribute, more projects to launch, and more fisherfolk lives to transform.”

The DA chief pledged full institutional support for programs that bring not just hope but concrete and inclusive growth to the sector. He likened public service to the tides: unrelenting, consistent, and courageous — just like the fisherfolk who set out to sea each day.

As BFAR enters its 79th year, Laurel’s message was clear: progress will not come from good intentions alone, but from action that is swift, strategic, and anchored in compassion.