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BFAR: Go beyond 3-month fishing ban in Visayan Sea

Philippines | Luzon

BFAR: Go beyond 3-month fishing ban in Visayan Sea

By Tara Yap

ILOILO CITY — The campaign to sustain the Visayan Sea as a rich fishing ground should go beyond the annual fishing ban, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said.

FISHING boats at the port of Concepcion, a town in northern Iloilo province. (Tara Yap)

“The three-month fishing ban is not enough,” said BFAR-6 Regional Director Remia Aparri.

Fishing for herring, mackerel, and sardines at the Visayan Sea resumed last Feb. 16 after the end of the annual closed season.

The Nov. 15, 2024 to Feb. 15, 2025 fishing ban aims to give time for the three fish species to repopulate and increase food supply.

“We need additional strategies to make fish repopulation more effective and provide enough food supply,” Aparri said.

Aparri said that a Feb. 18 meeting was held in Concepcion, a coastal town in northern Iloilo province, to discuss strategies.

While no violators were caught during the three-month ban, BFAR is pushing for stronger enforcement against “hulbot-hulbot” or Danish Seine fishing.

In hulbot-hulbot fishing, a net is tied to heavy weights such as a huge rock. This fishing method is often the cause of coral destruction as the net goes to the bottom of the sea and drags the corals.

Aparri said enforcement is a challenging task as it involves several government agencies and local government units (LGUs) in patrolling a vast maritime area.

Apprehension is coordinated with Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and sea patrol groups of LGUs.

BFAR called for patrols in identified marine protected areas.

Related Tags

Visayan Sea BFAR Fishing Ban

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