The fisherfolk in these areas can now resume their sardine fishing activities, and also the sardine canneries in Zamboanga City, the largest producer of canned and bottled sardines in the country, are expected to take their production in full swing as the closed season comes to an end, BFAR said in a statement.
This is the second time BFAR, following the Joint DA-DILG Administrative Order No. 1 or JAO-1, has implemented a fishing ban on sardines in Zamboanga to make way for the species’ spawning period.
BFAR Director Asis G. Perez said the production of sardines increased after the implementation of the closed season last December 2011 to February 2012, which encouraged the Bureau to apply the same measure in the succeeding years.
The sardine production in the Zamboanga Region registered a positive mark as the volume of sardine production for 2012 grew comparatively higher than the previous year.
Data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) showed a significant increase of captured sardines with a total of 156,153.51 MT in 2012 compared to 2011’s 146,835.66 MT.
The waters of Zamboanga are not the only areas subjected under the sardine closed season. On November 15, 2012, BFAR has also put the Visayan Sea and its surrounding waters under the fishing ban.
