ILOILO CITY – Fishing for three fish species in the Visayan Sea will be prohibited for the next three months.
This was after the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) enforced a ban on the harvesting and trading of herrings, mackerels and sardines from the Visayan Sea starting on Monday, November 16.
“The closed season is a time for these fishes to properly reproduce,” said BFAR-6 Regional Director Remia Aparri.
The three-month fishing ban was also meant to replenish the depleting population of the three types of fishes along the Visayan Sea, which is considered as one of the country’s richest fishing grounds.
Covered by the fishing ban in Western Visayas region are the coastal areas facing the Visayan Sea in Iloilo, Capiz and Negros Occidental provinces.
In Iloilo province, the ban includes coastal parts of Anilao, Ajuy, Balasan, Banate, Barotac Nuevo, Barotac Viejo, Batad, Carles, Concepcion, Estancia, and San Dionisio towns.
In Capiz province, the ban includes coastal areas of Roxas City, as well as the towns of Pilar, Pontevedra, President Roxas, and Panay.
In Negros Occidental province, the ban covers EB Magalona, Victorias City, Manapla, Sagay City, Cadiz City, and Escalante City.
The fishing ban also covers the vicinity of Bantayan Island in Cebu province.
BFAR-6 reiterated the call for local governments bordering the Visayan Sea to fully enforce the fishing ban that ends on February 15, 2021.