Commercial fishers support fishing ban

CEBU, Philippines - In support of the government’s effort to rehabilitate the Visayan Sea, the Northern Cebu Fishing Boat Operators Association (NCFBOA) is set to deploy “fish condominiums” or “fish condo” in different marine sanctuaries in Bantayan Island on November 30 and December 1.

NCFBOA president Engr. Romeo Villaceran said that around 30 “fish condo” will be deployed. He however said they are targeting around a thousand units to help rehabilitate the reefs in the Visayan Sea.

The project was initiated by non-government organization, School of the Sea and Earth Advocates (SEA), headed by lawyer Antonio Oposa which is supported by local commercial fishers.

Oposa earlier cited Bantayan Island as example of a place which does not have a single reef in good condition due to dynamite and cyanide fishing.

The “fish condo” constructed from a concreted net-covered bamboo frame is a structure where gravid fish could lay their eggs.  It can also provide refuge for small fish as marine plants and other organisms could attach and grow in the artificial shelter.

Oposa said the materials used in the fish shelter are more or less like that of the coral reef which is made mostly from the calcium carbonate secretions of tiny marine animals commonly referred to as corals.

The concrete cast, in turn, is made from three-fourths calcium-rich limestones combined with one-fourth part concrete and shredded plastic wraps.

Depending on the size, the fish condo could be built for a minimum of P150 a piece, said Oposa.

Oposa, an internationally-acclaimed environmental lawyer, threw his support behind the government’s move to temporarily ban sardine and mackerel fishing in the Visayan Sea.

The closed season, which started on Nov.15 and will end on March 15, 2013, is seen as a way to enable the sardine and mackerel to regenerate.

Villaceran yesterday said that the local commercial fishers are supporting the move.

Villaceran however said that they asked BFAR to just shorten the ban to three months instead of four to allow fishermen to catch fish by March.

The request was sent to BFAR Manila last Monday. — (FREEMAN)