Advancing the closed fishing season for sardines in the waters off the Zamboanga peninsula is expected to further improve local fish stocks, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
Starting this year, waters of East-Sulu Sea, Basilan Strait and Sibuguey Bay will be closed to sardine fishing from November 15 to February 15 simultaneous to the implementation of closed fishing season for small pelagics including sardines in the Visayan sea.
Previously, closed fishing season in the Zamboanga peninsula was from December to March 1.
Nazario Briguera, BFAR spokesperson, told reporters last week moving up the schedule will create “a positive impact in terms of the repopulation scheme of sardines.”
The agency could not say the additional volume this would generate.
BFAR said a research conducted under the National Stock Assessment Program and the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute in Zamboanga Peninsula showed the spawning period of mature sardines peaks from October to January.
The agency added BFAR Administrative Circular number 225 series of 2014 allows for a regular review on the implementation of the closed season to determine the best management strategy that would ensure the sustainability and conservation of sardines.
Based on latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, agriculture production value in the country dropped 1.3 percent in the second quarter of the year pulled down by fisheries which declined 14.2 percent during the period.
The fisheries subsector was the only variable that recorded a drop in the second quarter, down 14.2 percent in value of production at constant 2018 prices for the period. It contributed P58.81 billion or 13.8 percent of the total agricultural output.
Production declines were observed for bigeye tuna, skipjack, fimbriated sardines, grouper, yellowfin tuna, sapsap, milkfish, blue crab, squid, mud crab, frigate tuna, bisugo, alumahan, tilapia, talakitok, tamban, matangbaka and seaweed. -Jed Macapagal
