BFAR lifts fishing ban in Visayan Sea

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – Fishing in the Visayan Sea now resumes, with the lifting of the four-month fishing ban two days ago.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Region 6 lifted the fishing ban which it imposed in the Visayan Sea last Nov. 15 to give fish time to breed, grow and replenish their population, the agency’s regional director Drusila Esther Bayate said.

The Visayan Sea, encompassing Regions 5, 6, and 7, is home to one of the richest marine biodiversities in the world, but illegal and indiscriminate fishing in the last five years has resulted in the decline of its fish population.

During the 4th Governors’ Meeting on the Visayan Sea Protection and Coastal Law Enforcement Program held in Iloilo City in February last year, the governors of Negros Occidental, Cebu, Masbate and Iloilo vowed to ensure the sustainability of the Visayan Sea by eradicating illegal and destructive means of fishing there.

BFAR declared the four-month “closed season” in the Visayan Sea to ensure the rich supply of fish known to inhabit the area such as sardines, herrings and mackerels.