AFTER three months of closing the Davao Gulf for commercial fishing, the regional office of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Davao Region has lifted the ban and declared open fishing season for small pelagic fishes in the gulf starting Tuesday.
"Masaya tayo na binuksan muli ang pangingisda, pagkaraan ng tatlong buwan na itinigil ito," said Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Asis G. Perez, concurrent BFAR director.
It was closed to make way for small pelagic fishes to spawn and reproduce.
The ban on commercial fishing using rignet and bagnet was first implemented in July-August 2014 and found to have created a big impact to local fishermen.
According to the initial assesment of Bfar 11, 78 percent of the fishes caught in the gulf are "already big fishes" after the implementation of the ban.
This only means the fishes already reproduced and a new batch are to be harvested in the next fishing season.
For instance, Mene maculata, commonly called as bilong-bilong, could reach up to 19 centimeters in length after the closed season, as compared to its regular size of 11 cm. before the ban was imposed in 2014. The production also increased up to 80,000 fishes "because of the due time given to them to reproduce."
For Auxis rochei or pirit, which now range from 8.5 cm to 23.5 cm. in size, also increased in production after the closed season, from 15,000 in 2013 to 40,000 last year.
For the commonly bought Selar crumenophthalmus or matambaka, the production also increased with 170,000 in 2014 as compared to 120,000 harvested in 2013.
Local fisherfolks also cited beneficial result of the fishing ban, hoping that this closed season will be enforced anew in the coming years as the gulf is closed in time for the breeding season.
BFAR Davao Region also turned over on Monday cheques for the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) and Community Fish Landing Center (CFLC) to its beneficiaries.
The local government of Braulio E. Dujali in Davao del Norte received P1,000,000 for its tilapia production; Hagonoy in Davao del Sur received P500,000 for infrastructure support to fishery production; Kiblawan in Davao del Sur received P500,000 for organic tilapia production and deboning; Pantukan in Compostela Valley received the biggest amount of P5,7 million for the acquisition of motorized fishing boats and establishment of fish cages.
While the towns of Banay-banay. Gov. Generoso, Lupon, and Mati City each received P2.85 million for their community-based fish landing center.