The NFRDI was created under the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 and started formally in 1999. NFRDI’s objectives are: to raise the income of the fisherfolk and to elevate the Philippines among the top five (5) in the world ranking in the fish productions; to make the country’s fishing industry in the high seas competitive; to conduct social research on fisherfolk families for a better understanding of their conditions &needs; and to coordinate with the fisheries schools, LGUs and private sectors regarding the maximum utilization of available technology, including the transfer of such technology to the industry particularly the fisherfolk.