Closed season seen to increase prices of fish in Davao Region

by Antonio Colina IV, Manila Bulletin

DAVAO CITY – Prices of fish in the Davao Region will likely increase due to the implementation of the three-month closed fishing season at Davao Gulf, an official of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Davao said.BFAR-Davao Region Director Raul Millana said that the prohibited fishing activities would affect the local supply of fish that would result in higher prices.

He added that aquaculture might help cushion the inflationary effect of the fishing ban, prompting the agency to support small fisherfolk in setting up marine fish cages, including even the inland waters.

Millana said production of fresh water fish, including tilapia and catfish, would help abate the increase in the prices of fish.

The implementation of the ban, which is now in its ninth year, must be enforced to allow pelagic fish to reproduce since the period from June 1 to August 31 has been established as their spawning season, according to Millana.

The Departments of Agriculture (DA) and Interior and Local Government (DILG)-issued Joint Administrative Circular No. 2 in 2014 established a three-month closed fishing season in the Davao Gulf to “conserve marine resources, to secure the spawning period of pelagic fishes in the Gulf, and continuously implement measures to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.”

The order bans small-scale to large-scale commercial fishing vessels from 3.1 to 150 gross tons and the use of bag nets and ring nets in the Gulf, which the BFAR identified as a spawning ground for tuna and other fish species and one of the 10 major fishing grounds in the Philippines. The protected species include big-eyed scad, mackerel, and moonfish.

He said the ban gives small pelagic fish time to regrow its population, emphasizing that extractive fishing activities would have long-term effect on the supply of fish.