THE closed season started yesterday, Nov. 15, and ends Feb. 15 next year in the Visayan Sea where sardines, mackerel and herrings abound.
In the waters off Northern Palawan, the closed fishing season started on Nov. 1 and will last for three months. Off the Zamboanga Peninsula, the fishing season is closed from Dec. 1 until March 1 next year.
The Bureau of Fisheries schedules the closed fishing seasons to allow fish to spawn and repopulate the seas.
There won’t be a shortage in the supply of fish despite the temporary fishing bans in three fish-rich areas of the country. But long-term marine hatcheries would help reduce fish imports and provide jobs to fisherfolk especially during closed fishing season.
Having more freshwater and saltwater marine single-species and multi-species hatcheries is among the ways to assure consumer fish supply preparatory to the closed seasons.
Also, ensuring food security at the local level can be done by way of aggressively promoting and supporting indoor vertical farms for fruits, vegetables, and corn. Mass indoor farming of rice and wheat should also be explored. Prototype indoor vertical farms for rice and wheat would serve as proof of concept that large-scale versions of such farms can be done. If the Department of Agriculture budget cannot fund these, then the various modes of build-operate-and-transfer can be resorted to.
The Fiscal Incentives Review Board and the Board of Investments can also prioritize indoor vertical farms and marine hatcheries proposed by domestic and foreign investors. These agriculture sector investments would address the perennial and seasonal unemployment and underemployment in the farm and fisheries sectors.
Indoor farms and marine hatcheries can be located at the outer limits and just outside urban centers (where real property prices and rents are lower) so that harvests can be delivered fresh to the public markets and supermarkets. Mobile or pop-up versions of some indoor farms and marine hatcheries can also be deployed to storm-affected areas so they can stabilize food supplies and prices there in a matter of several weeks.
While closed fishing seasons to allow fish to spawn and repopulate the seas are good, let’s further explore ways to ensure our food security. That is the bottom line.
