Group urges Mimaropa fisherfolk to defy galunggong ban

Fisherfolk group Pamalakaya on Thursday called on small fisherfolk and operators of small scale commercial fishing firms in Palawan, Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Romblon and Marinduque to defy the plan of the government to impose a galunggong fishing ban.

"The proposed plan has no legal, moral and political basis...Let us prepare for an across Palawan, across Mimaropa-wide galunggong resistance,"Pamalakaya vice chairperson Salvador France said.

France said  the only reason he sees in the imposition of  the ban is that the government plans to import 500,000 metric tons of round scad from China.

In a statement, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said it would like to follow up on last year's success of its closed season on sardines in the Visayan Sea and in Zamboanga.

The ban was lifted in  March this year.

"We are inspired by what happened in the sardine closure. We are happy with the results because we now have more fish catch," BFAR Director Asis Perez said.

Perez said the fishing ban on galunggong would arrest the drop in supply and help lower its price, which now retails from P60 to P120 per kilo, depending on size.

"We want to bring down prices so that, consistently, we have galunggong on our table at a very, very affordable cost," Perez said. - Dennis Carcamo