Govt lifts sardine fishing embargo

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources has lifted the three-month ban on sardine fishing in a conservation area in Mindanao.

BFAR director Asis Perez said the fishing grounds of East Sulu Sea, Basilan Strait and Sibuguey Bay were now open to commercial fishermen effective March 2, three months after a sardine fishing ban was imposed to replenish the sardines’ stock in those areas.

A study commissioned by the agency showed that for every ton of fish left to spawn, a threefold increase in the biomass of the fish was expected. The change, however, would not be felt until the next three months, given the migratory nature of sardines and the vastness of the fishing ground.

Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat expressed optimism the local sardine industry would be able to bounce back to productive level following the three-month ban on sardine fishing.

Zamboanga region has 454 commercial fishing vessels catching pelagic species such as sardines, tuna and round scads. Its main industry is focused on sardines canning.

Sardines, which includes herring, is second most common fish species caught in Philippine waters, next to tuna.

Sardines represented about 26 percent of the 1.24-million metric ton catch of commercial fisheries and 11 percent of the 1.18-million MT municipal fish catch in 2010.

Total catch was down by 109,000 MT or 24 percent in 2011 from 452,000 MT in 2010.

“Our studies on the development of larvae and juvenile of various sardine species during the closed season indicate that the closure was timely and that the areas covered are important spawning and nursery grounds for the said fish,” said Perez.

Recent observation of fish catch from a commercial purse seiner in the Sulu and Basilan waters showed that harvested sardines and round scad appeared to be nearing maturity with length averaging 11 centimeters. The size at first maturity for sardines is 14c.m.

The Southern Philippines Deep Sea Fishing Association urged the government to expand the coverage of its research and to include the Bicol Region, Leyte, Cotabato and other areas where sardines are also caught.

The group is seeking support from the local government given that many of the marginal fishermen in the coastal areas continue to harvest the juvenile sardine locally known as “lapuy” even during the close season.

The group, composed of 10 companies operating 16 sardine purse seine fleets in Zamboanga and Sulu waters, has been asking the government to seriously implement the sardine management plan over the past six years.

“If warranted, we will support even a nationwide closure if only to ensure the sustainability of the sardine fisheries,” said Jimmy Yap of YL Fishing. –Othel V. Campos, Manila Standard Today