ROSARIO, Cavite: Residents in this coastal town are celebrating the unusual amount of "tamban" or sardines caught by local fishermen in the past few weeks.

Mike Concha, president of a fisherfolk group in Rosario, said that a fishing boat can bring home an average of 48 buckets of sardines per trip.

"That's equivalent to around 864 kilos of tamban fish caught every day," Concha said.

"Before we only catch 5 to 10 buckets per day."

Concha said one bucket of sardines can be sold for P700 at the fish port.

"For almost a month now, our catch has always been like this," he added.

Concha said the artificial coral reefs planted in the waters off Rosario in 2021 may have contributed to the bountiful harvest of the fisherfolk here.

He also said the fishermen here thanked Tata Idrong or San Isidro Labrador, their patron saint.