ILOILO CITY – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-6 is set to implement a three-month fishing ban in the Visayan Sea under Fisheries Administrative Order No. 167-3 starting Wednesday, November 15.
FISHING boats at the port of Concepcion, a town in northern Iloilo province. (Tara Yap)
BFAR-6 Regional Director Remia Aparri said the ban that seeks to address overfishing in the Visayan Sea, considered as the country’s richest fishing ground and gives livelihood to around 100,000 fishermen, will end on February 15, 2024.
Aparri said that the ban covers Bali Sardine, short-bodied mackerel, Goldstripe sardine, Indian mackerel, Fimbriated sardine, and rainbow sardine. “The closed season will give enough time to repopulate,” added Aparri.
Areas covered by the ban are the northeastern tip of Bantayan Island in Cebu province; Gigantes Island in Iloilo province; Olutayan Island to Culasi Point in Capiz province; westward of Guimaras Strait; and northern coast of Negros Island.
BFAR-6 has urged local governments to implement the fishing ban and conducting a series of dialogues and information campaign this month, particularly in fishing communities in northern Iloilo province.