The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is implementing for the fourth year in a row a three-month closed season on sardine fishing, citing the need to conserve the species’ population and the success observed so far.
In a public notice, BFAR said the fishing ban on sardines would be in effect on Dec. 1 this year to March 1, 2015.
The ban, spelled out in BFAR Administrative Circular No. 255-2014, covers East Sulu Sea, Basilan Strait and Sibuguey Bay.
Earlier, the agency said the implementation over the past three years of closed sardine fishing seasons had spawned rising output, especially in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
Officials said the ban allowed the sardines to go through their spawning period undisturbed by fishing activities.
However, latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority indicate reduced production of sardines in the first quarter of 2014 because of the ban in Zamboanga Peninsula.
“Allegedly, the continuous presence of illegal fishing activities resulted in the destruction of coral reef in Palawan,” the PSA added.
“Other reasons for the decline were the fewer volume of fish caught in Zamboanga Peninsula due to cold waters while fewer appearances of most species were cited in Caraga,” the agency said.