The government has lifted the ban on sardine fishing in East Sulu Sea, Basilan Strait and Sibuguey Bay after a three-month implementation.
In line with the lifting of the ban, sardine canneries in Zamboanga City are expected to produce in full swing as the closed season comes to an end.
This is the second sardine fishing ban implemented by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Zamboanga to encourage growth in sardine population.
The ban was implemented from December 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013.
BFAR said that in 2012, the sardine production in the Zamboanga Region grew as a result of the imposition of the ban from December 2011 to February 2012. Production for 2012 rose to 156,153.51 metric tons from 146,835.66 MT in 2012.
BFAR’s decision was met with skepticism in 2011 as protesters from both the fisheries sector and the canning industries opposed its implementation.
BFAR said that on its second year of implementation, however, a hundred percent compliance was observed from the stakeholders because of the positive results.
BFAR also imposed a fishing ban in the Visayan Seas—implemented from November 15, 2012 to February 14, 2013—to encourage in increase in the population of sardines and herring.