BFAR renews call: Enforce closed fishing season in Taal Lake to save tawilis

MANILA, Philippines –The government is planning to enforce a closed fishing season in Taal Lake to protect tawilis, the only freshwater sardine and endemic to the area, after it has been recently placed on the list of endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) director Ed Gongona said in a phone interview that they are hoping to save the species through this method, which will give it time to spawn and increase its population.

Tawilis (Sardinella tawilis) was declared by the IUCN as endangered following studies showing that its population has declined by half over the last 10 years.

Being endemic to Taal lake, the fish’s area of occurrence was also considered too small – another factor for its population’s downtrend.

Gongona said they proposed a 3-month fishing ban in the area as early as 2013 to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, but no action was taken.

He added that they are planning to renew the proposal following the result of IUCN’s study.

According to Gongona, following the biological trend of tawilis, the fishing ban must be enforced between March to April, or during the spawning season of the species.

Dr. Mudjekeewis D. Santos PhD, a scientist at the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) who was part of the team that conducted a study on tawilis, said there were many factors that contributed to the fish’s decline – the biggest of which was the presence of invasive species.

Santos said fish like black chin tilapia, commonly known as “tilapiang gloria,” and Pterygoplichthys, an armored catfish commonly known as janitor fish have stunted the population growth of tawilis since both variants multiply fast and compete with the consumption of feeds meant for the latter.

Other threats included environmental pollution brought by the proliferation of fish cages and the use of too much feeds that eventually rot in the waters.

The demand for tawilis also led to overfishing. Santos said the demand for the fish, both local and abroad, has led residents to catch even the small and pregnant ones.

For NFRDI, seasonal fishing closures may help revive the population of tawilis, but it will not be enough.

“Seasonal fishing closures are good because we’ve already seen its success in other parts of the country like in Zamboanga, Visayas, and Northern Palawan… But for us, we want to have a tawilis reserve area wherein we will identify spawning areas of tawilis and close it permanently against fishing,” Santos said.

“We need everyone’s cooperation if we want to save tawilis, because it is still doable. Fishermen must observe proper practices. It’s okay to catch fish, it’s okay to eat fish, but everything must be done in moderation. There should also be proper implementation of all regulations. The area should be monitored,” he added.

Based on NFRDI’s study, if proper interventions would be put in place, the fish variety’s population may recuperate in three years’ time.   /muf