The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Western Visayas (BFAR-6) recently gathered the fisheries stakeholders for the orientation on the Visayan Sea closed season, locally known as “Pahuway sang Baybay,” which started November 15 and will remain in force until February 15, 2024.
According to BFAR-6, this seasonal closure covers selected species only, such as sardines (tuloy, tamban and tabagak), herrings (balantiyong) and mackerels (guma-a, bulao and hasa-hasa).
The portion closed for fishing of the said species starts in the Danao River in Negros Occidental’s Escalante City to the tip of Cebu province’s Sta. Fe town, continuing to the northernmost tip of Cebu’s Madridejos town to Iloilo province’s Gigantes Island, with the lighthouse as the marker.
This further connects horizontally to Olotayan Island down to Roxas City, while between Iloilo and Negros Occidental provinces, the boundary starts from the Talisay River in Barotac Nuevo town to Tomonton Point in E.B. Magalona town and closes in back to Danao River.
With this, the fisheries bureau in partnership with the local government unit of Estancia town in Iloilo, conducted a “Hinun-anon sa Responsible nga Pagpangisda,” where some 70 various fisheries stakeholders, including commercial fishing vessel operators, fish traders and brokers, transporters, municipal fishers, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council members, Philippine National Police (PNP) officers, PNP maritime personnel, Philippine Coast Guard officials, and the Maritime Industry Authority personnel, among others, have participated.
“Kun mahatagan sang pahuway ang aton kadagatan, dako man ang balik sini sa aton pagkatapos sang closed season,” officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Fisheries Management Regulatory and Enforcement Division lawyer Jan Rey Magallosa said during his message.
The forum featured a lecture on “Responsable nga Pagpangisda” with Mateo Doyola Jr., OIC of the BFAR-6 Licensing Section, highlighting the importance of non-destructive and legal gear to protect the critical habitats of fish including corals, sea grasses and mangroves.
Meanwhile, Project Leader of the National Stock Assessment Program Sheryll Mesa presented the results of various studies related to the closed fishing season.
Mesa emphasized that the use of fine mesh nets may be countering the positive impact of the closure and thus, called for collective action to avoid using such gears, since the use of fine mesh nets is illegal under Section 93 of the Amended Fisheries Code of the Philippines.
Popularly called the “Alaska of the Philippines,” the Estancia town also served as the venue of the dialogue with various stakeholders last year.
OIC of the Fisheries Inspection and Quarantine Services of BFAR-6 Lorna Angor reiterated the previous agreements among the group including the compliance with no landing or trading of prohibited species.
She noted that should operators trade sardines, herrings or mackerels at the Estancia Feeder port, they will be required to show their Global Positioning System (GPS) location data as proof that they fished outside the closed season area.
BFAR-6 director Remia Aparri, for her part, assured that the fisherfolk’s livelihood sources are still in place amid the closed season, citing that only the three identified species are prohibited from being caught during this period.
“We will continue to provide interventions and technical assistance so as to guide our fisherfolk as the rest of the Visayan waters prevail until early next year for the spawning of the said species,” Aparri said.
During the forum, the fishers likewise raised issues with their registration and permits, incidental catch composition of their non-selective gear, and securing GPS data from catcher vessels. (PIA-6 / With reports from BFAR-6)