ILOILO City – The campaign against illegal fishing is paying off. Western Visayas is “more than 100 percent sufficient” in fish, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
The region’s fish sufficiency is at 125 percent, Regional Director Remia Aparri told Panay News.
She cited local government units (LGUs), partner government agencies, fisherfolk and other stakeholders for supporting BFAR’s campaign against illegal fishing and the annual three-month closed season observed in the Visayan Sea (November to February) to give fishes time to spawn, repopulate and grow.
Western Visayas’ fishing grounds are the Visayan Sea, Panay Gulf, Guimaras Strait, and the waters of Antique province.
The rich Visayan Sea is shared by 33 cities and municipalities of the provinces of Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Cebu, and Masbate.
Fish harvests come from commercial and municipal fisheries, and aquaculture, said Aparri.
Commercial fisheries refer to capture fishing operations using fishery vessels of over three gross tonnage outside municipal waters (beyond 15 kilometers from the shoreline).
Municipal fisheries, on the other hand, refer to capture fishing operations using fishery vessels of three gross tonnage or less including other forms of fishing not involving the use of watercraft.
Aquaculture involves fish culture activities in inland and marine waters.
The region’s most abundant fish species are milkfish, sardines, mackerel, herring, and tuna, said Aparri.
“Damo kita supply. In aquaculture there’s bangus. Sa dagat madamo kita tabagak, tuna kag iban pa nga mga isda,” she added.
Data from the Philippine Statistic Authority (PSA) showed the following fish production of the region (from 2020 to 2022):
Commercial Fisheries
* 2020 – 65,860.03 metric tons
* 2021 – 59,966.53 metric tons
* 2022 – 73,506.03 metric tons
Municipal Fisheries
* 2020 – 99,937.17 metric tons
* 2021 – 107,880.31 metric tons
* 2022 – 113,121.1 metric tons
Aquaculture
* 2020 – 210,553.34 metric tons
* 2021 – 209,130.78 metric tons
* 2022 – 48,219.32 metric tons
“Based on our monitoring, wala kami recorded nga apprehension related sa closed season of the Visayan Sea, meaning compliant kita unlike sang una,” said Aparri.
Fisherfolks are banned from catching, selling and buying sardines, mackerel and herring in a portion of the marine biodiversity-rich Visayan Sea from Nov. 15 to Feb. 15 each year.
Areas of closure in Western Visayas include northern Iloilo covering Barotac Nuevo, Anilao, Banate, Barotac Viejo, Ajuy, Concepcion, San Dionisio, Batad, Estancia, Balasan, and Carles; parts of Capiz including Roxas City, Pilar, Pontevedra, President Roxas, and Panay; and northern Negros covering EB Magalona, Victorias City, Manapla, Sagay City, Cadiz City, and Escalante City.
The closed season also covers the island of Bantayan in Central Visayas.
“We have to manage our marine resources…ini ginhatag sa aton ni Lord,” said Aparri.
Today, June 8, is World Oceans Day. Aparri said BFAR has activities.
Also, last month of May was Month of the Ocean by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 57 issued in 1999, said Aparri. It was also Farmers’ and Fisherfolks’ Month by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 33 issued on May 21, 1989.
Among others, BFAR conducted an information education campaign on the conservation and management of marine resources./PN
