ILOILO CITY — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is urging local government units (LGUs) to strictly enforce the three-month fishing ban along the vast Visayan Sea.
BFAR-6 Regional Director Remia Aparri said LGUs must have teams to strictly enforce the ban for fishermen to harvest and trade herrings, mackerels and sardines.
The three-month fishing ban that started last November 15 to February 15, 2022 aims to reverse the depleting population of the three types of fishes along the Visayan Sea, which is considered as the country’s richest fishing ground.
“We need to have sustainability and there should be momentum,” said Aparri.
The annual closed season that started in 2013 was designed to give time for herrings, mackerels and sardines to properly breed and boost its population while giving a long-term solution for sustainable fishing in the coastal communities along the Visayan Sea.
Areas covered by the fishing ban are the coastal waters off northern Iloilo province; Olutayan Island to Culasi Point in Capiz province; the northern part of Negros Island, and the northeastern tip of Bantayan Island in Cebu province.