Sardines factories stepping up production ahead of close of fishing season

ZAMBOANGA CITY (PNA) – The 13 local canning factories here have embarked on mass production of canned sardines to ensure sufficient stocks during the annual three-month closed fishing season for "tamban" (herring).

The annual closed fishing season for herring starts December 1 until March 1 to allow for a more productive spawning season and address the declining fish catch.

Engr. Jaydrick Jayson Yap, Southern Philippines Deep Sea Fishing Association, Inc. (SoPhil) president, said Monday that all local canning factories still have sufficient supplies, but stressed the need to “hurry up production” to cover the closed fishing season.

Yap said the average production of each canning factory is 125,000 cases or 12.5 million cans of sardines monthly, with each case containing 100 cans.

He said with the average production of each canning factory, there would be sufficient supply during the closed fishing season of herring.

“The different canning factories reported that even during the closed fishing season, there would be sufficient supply of sardines,” he said.

Meanwhile, Yap said the stocks of the different canning factories dwindled in April, May, and June since sardines formed part of relief supplies of the local government units in the country in response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.