Authorities mull on closed fishing

season for select fishing grounds

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Feb 8 (PIA)—Just as the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) implements a 7-year Fisheries and Coastal Resilience (FISHCoRe) Project to improve food security and more resilient ecosystems and communities, authorities mull on implementing closed-fishing season in selected fishing grounds alternately for three months.

The proposal came amidst the noted decline of fish catch, which by laws of economy, drives the prices up.

BFAR Regional Director Mario Ruinata, in his keynote address during the BFAR FISHCoRe Roadshow, pointed out that this year, the fish catch all over the Visayas is just 34% of the 52,000 metric tons that is needed to sufficiently respond to the people’s needs.

The roadshow came to disseminate FISHCoRe programs in a bid to conserve, preserve, protect and balance the marine environment for sustainable fisheries and empowered communities, Ruinata explained.

Fisheries holds an immense significance for Bohol and its future, the BFAR official said.

To do this, BFAR stressed the need for community based fisheries management, to which they urged community collaboration in the undertaking.

FishCore, a World Bank funded project implemented by BFAR, however only looks at the management of fisheries in the seas of Ubay, President Carlos P Garcia, Candijay, Mabini, Anda, Guindulman, Duero, Jagna, Garcia Hernandez, Valencia, Dimiao, Lila, Loay, Alburquerque, Baclayon, Tagbilaran, Dauis and Panglao.

And while the BFAR works with fisheries stakeholders in these towns, Bohol is looking into implementing a localized closed fishing season, to stabilize fish stocks, increase supply and then reduce fishing tension, explained Bohol fisheries consultant Alfeo Piloton.

Piloton, a former BFAR Regional Director assigned in Region 7, Region 10 and 12, and a resident of Guindulman, himself saw what a closed fishing season can do, as a retired BFAR executive.

When the FISHCoRe project areas within the Fisheries Management Area 9 (FMA 9) may agree to implement a closed fishing area for a certain kind of fish in a fishing ground in Bohol Sea, fishing grounds encompassing 2, 822,800 hectares and covering 5 different regions, Region 7, 8, 9, 10 and 13, Bohol’s closed fishing season plan entails waters within Bohol’s municipal waters.

A fishing ground shared by many provinces like the FMA 9 may need a national directive for implementation, but for municipal waters, an executive order is an effective governing policy.

The Philippine Fisheries Code (Republic Act 10654) defines closed season as “the period during which the taking of specified fishery species by a specified fishing gear is prohibited in a specified area or areas in the Philippine waters.”

DA-BFAR saw implementing a closed-fishing season as "a critical conservation measure."

A policy backed by science, it aims to allow fish stocks to replenish and secure a long term food security for communities dependent on the managed areas.

Under the closed fishing policy, pre-determined key fishing grounds are off-limits to large-scale fishing or types of fishing gear designed to catch the kind of fish for conservation, for three months.

Proposed for closed fishing season upon the completion of a fishery management plan and public consultation are sardines (Tamban-tuloy or hawol-hawol), mackerel (Budboron or Anduhaw), siganid (danggit and kitong), and possibly bullet tuna (tulingan or pirit).

Closed Fishing season for blue crab (Alimasag or lambay) has also been contemplated for the seas in northern Bohol.

With a closed fishing season over an area, it would allow breeding and spawning, and the juveniles to mature enough while undisturbed.

While on closed fishing season, alternative livelihood would be given to communities directly affected by the policy, he said.

Piloton however acknowledged the challenge of enforcement during closed fishing season even if Bohol keeps an interagency and inter LGU coastal law enforcement council clusters. (PIABohol)

BE NEAR, BFAR. BFAR regional Director Mario Ruinata joins Boholano FISHCoRe stakeholders and revealed a fisheries management policy on closed fishing season, when fishing for specific kind of fish is banned for three months to allow the fish to spawn, grow into juveniles and then mature. (PIABohol)