OVERFISHING is a problem seldom given official attention, but it is so insidious that if left unchecked it will threaten the survival of much of marine life and ultimately, the livelihood of thousands of fishermen in the Philippines.
It cannot be gainsaid that catching too many fish at once, making the breeding population too depleted to recover, is the exact formula for maritime perdition.
In the case of the Philippines, overfishing has been verified as the principal cause of the dwindling population of whale sharks and other species. A recent study of the WWF showed that commercially important fish species are being overfished in parts of the country, to the detriment of small fisherfolk and coastal communities.
Overfishing is not just a local problem. In India, indiscriminate fishing along Karnataka’s coast is a huge headache as juvenile fish are increasingly hauled out of waters by mechanized boats.
The Philippine government has imposed a fishing moratorium in the Visayan Sea to counter the severe decline in fish population attributed to the persistent issue of overfishing. The ban on fishing starts on Nov. 15 and will last until Feb. 15, 2024.
`We support this effort of conserving all fish varieties in the Visayan Sea, considering that thousands of fishermen in the central Philippines are depending on this sea for their survival and development.’
The Visayan Sea is a major fishing ground for sardines, mackerel and herring in the Philippines. The sea covers an area roughly 10,000 sq. km with 22 municipalities along its coastlines.
With the fishing ban, a crucial and commendable step has been taken to protect the invaluable marine biodiversity of the Visayan Sea. This move bans the fishing, sale, and purchase of specific fish species and sends a resounding message on the urgency of safeguarding our seas and oceans for future generations.
The fish species sought to be protected and conserved by the fishing ban are the following: Bali sardine (Sardinella lemuru, locally known as tamban, tunsoy or haul-haul); short-bodied mackerel (known as hasa-hasa); goldstripe sardine (halobaybay, tamban, lapad, tamban lison or lapa); Indian mackerel (bulao or alumahan); fimbriated sardina (tunsoy, lao-lao, tabagak, tamban or liryan); and rainbow sardine (tulis, balantiyong or hilos-hilos)
The closed fishing season in the Visayan Sea is mandated by Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 167-3 and strictly implemented by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Region 7.
FAO 167-3 prohibits the catching, killing, selling or possessing the sexually mature sardines, herrings and mackerels or their larvae, fry or young known locally as lupoy, silinyasi, linatsay or manansi in the portion of Visayan Sea and adjoining waters enclosed by the line drawn through following points and coastlines: from the mouth of Danao River on the northeastern tip of the Bantayan Island to Madridejos, through the lighthouse on Gigantes Island, to Clutaya Island, to Culasi Point in Capiz province, eastward along the northern coast of Capiz to Bulacaue Point in Carles, Iloilo, southward along the eastern coast of Iloilo to the mouth of Talisay River, westward across the Guimaras Strait to Tomonton Point in Occidental Negros, eastward along the northern coast of the island of Negros and back to the mouth of the Danao River in Escalante, Negros Occ.
The government has decided to strictly enforce the three-month closed fishing season because the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the annual fishery production in the region has been decreasing for two straight years.
We support this effort of conserving all fish varieties in the Visayan Sea, considering that thousands of fishermen in the central Philippines are depending on this sea for their survival and development.
