Every morning with daylight yet to ooze from the sky, a multitude of motorboats was heard roaring off the coast of Mercedes town in Camarines Norte. Buoyed by a prayer and a resolve to provide for their families, fisherfolks headed out to the abundant waters of San Miguel Bay, intent on taking home boatloads of fresh catch. Providentially, the body of water that opened to the mighty Pacific Ocean was not called the “fishing bowl” of the Bicol Region for nothing—as each day, the fish market of Mercedes became a bustling scene of fish trading activities.