President Marcos has clarified that the government will not be imposing a fishing ban in the country as this could have adverse effects on the livelihood of local fishermen.

Marcos said this after he was quoted as saying that the government was considering imposing a fishing ban in certain areas to address overfishing.

In an interview with Iriga, Camarines Sur, the President said the government would only impose a fishing restriction in the breeding areas.

"Hindi maganda ang pagkapaliwanag ko. Hindi fishing ban ang pinag-usapan ko (I was not clear with my explanation. I was not talking about a fishing ban)," he admitted.

"Ang sinasabi ko, kung saan yung breeding area ng isda, 'wag tayong mangingisda doon para dumami yung isda (What I meant was let's not not fish in the breeding areas so the fish could propagate)," he added.

Marcos firmly stated that the government would not impose a fishing ban as it would affect the income of small-scale fisherfolks.

"Pero walang fishing ban. Hindi naman makakapaghanapbuhay ang tao (But there won't be a fishing ban. The people won't make a living)," he said.

"Tingnan natin kung saan yung mga breeding grounds ng mga isda. Alagaan natin nang mabuti, 'wag tayong papasok muna roon, para makarami tayo ng huli ng ating mga mangingisda (We'll identify the breeding grounds, take care of them and restrict entry there for the time being, so our fisherfolk could fish there)," he added.

According to the President, he talked to some of the fishermen in Camarines Sur, and they informed him of their decreasing catch.

This week, President Marcos, who concurrently heads the Department of Agriculture (DA), emphasized the need to limit fishing in some parts of the country to ensure supply for the next season.

In addition, he said the government will put up more cold storage facilities and provide ice machines to help fishermen prevent spoilage of their catch.