ILOILO City – The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region 6 has assured consumers of enough supply of fish in Western Visayas this holiday season.
BFAR-6 director Remia Aparri said the region is more than 100 percent sufficient, particularly in aquaculture fish production.
“So far, sa pag-monitor naton sa market, okay man ang supply sang isda,” Aparri told Panay News.
This is despite the implementation of a three-month closed season on the Visayan Sea from Nov. 15, 2023 to Feb. 15, 2024.
“Even may closed season, waay man nagnubo ang supply kay more than 100 percent fish sufficient kita with aquaculture nga supply sang bangus, so amo na ang nagabalanse sa mga isda halin sa lawod,” she added.
With the upcoming New Year celebrations, Aparri encouraged the public to include nutrient-rich fish or seafood on the holiday menu.
During the closed season, meanwhile, fisherfolk are prohibited from catching, selling, and buying sardines, mackerel, and herring in a portion of the marine biodiversity-rich Visayan Sea.
Here are the types of fish banned from being caught, sold, and bought:
* Bali Sardine (Sardinella lemuru), locally known as tamban, tunsoy, or haul-haul
* Short-bodied Mackerel (Rastrelliger brachysoma), locally known as hasa-hasa
* Goldstripe Sardine (Sardinella gibbosa), locally known as halobaybay, tamban, lapad, tamban lison, and lapa
* Indian Mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta), locally known as bulao and alumahan
* Fimbriated Sardina (Sardinella fimbriata), locally known as tunsoy, lao-lao, tabagak, tamban, and liryan
* Rainbow Sardine (Dussumieria acuta), locally known as tulis, balantiyong, hilos-hilos
The Visayan Sea, one of the country’s largest fishing grounds, is surrounded by the islands of Cebu and Negros to the south; Masbate to the north; Panay to the west; and Leyte to the east.
The Visayan Sea is a vast fishing ground surrounded by 33 cities and municipalities in the provinces of Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Cebu, and Masbate.
As a vital resource, it is home to hectares upon hectares of corals, mangroves, seagrasses, and marine protected areas (MPAs). But it is also vulnerable and threatened by cases of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and increasing marine debris.
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.
As of the latest monitoring of BFAR-6, prices of seafood in markets remain stable.
Here are the prices of seafood and fish at the Iloilo Central Market, based on the recent monitoring of BFAR-6:
* Kasag (small and medium, seven pieces) – P380 per kilo
* Kasag (large, six pieces) – P450 per kilo
* Alimango – P550 to P600 per kilo
* Bagungon – P60 per kilo
* Shrimp – small (P250 per kilo), medium (P320-P330 per kilo) and large (P360-P380 per kilo)
* Greenshell – P110 per kilo
* Tuway – P80 per kilo
* Bangus (small, five pieces and above) – P180 per kilo
* Bangus (medium, three to four pieces) – P200 per kilo
* Bangus (large, one to two pieces) – P220-P240 per kilo
* Tilapia – P180 per kilo
* Bilong-bilong – P280 per kilo
* Bisugo – P280 to P350 per kilo
* Lapu-lapu – P350 to P400 per kilo
* Lison – P380 per kilo
* Tangigue – P380 to P400 per kilo/PN
