THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Davao Region urged the fisherfolk to cooperate with the closed season of the Davao Gulf.
This is after Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 02 “Establishing a Closed Season for the Conservation of Small Pelagic Fishes in Davao Gulf of the Department of Agriculture (DA)- BFAR Davao and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-Davao” was implemented starting June 1.
“Magtinabangay ta kay dili man ni panahon karun nga magkanya-kanya ta dapat magtibangay ta kay para makab-ot o ma-achieve nato atong tinguha nga dili ta maglisod sa atong pagkaon (Let’s help each other and cooperate because this is not the time to be selfish, we need to cooperate so that we can achieve our goal, which is to avoid food scarcity),“ Raul Millana, regional director, BFAR-Davao, said in an interview with the Davao City Disaster Radio on Friday, June 10, 2022.
Millana said fisherfolk should be regulated for the conservation and management of the small pelagic fishes from June 1, to August 31, 2022.
However, Millana clarified that fisherfolk can still fish as long as they are not going to catch those prohibited fishes such as hasa-hasa (Rastrelliger brachysoma), karabalyas (Rastrelliger kanagurta and decapterus macrosoma, decapterus tabi and decapterus macarellus), galonggong, moro-moro or borot (Decapterus kurroides), alumahan (Rastrelliger faughni), and matangbaka (selar crumenophthalmus).
According to Millana, during this temporary ban, the Davao Gulf will be monitored by the Philippine Maritime, Philippine Navy, and Philippine Coast Guard while the evaluation will be conducted by the Davao Oriental State University, Southern Philippines Agri-business and Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (Spamast)-Davao Occidental as well BFAR-Davao. KSD