THE compliance level of the region’s fisherfolk on the implementation of the "Closed Season for the Conservation of Small Pelagic Fishes in Davao Gulf" was higher as compared to the previous years.
The closed-season through the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 02 of the Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior and Local Government was set last June 1 to end of August this year.
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) director Fatma Idris told reporters at the sideline of the culmination of the third-year implementation of the closed-season that BFAR is expecting better fish catch this year as fishermen are now more compliant and strict monitoring has been imposed.
During the closed-season, the gulf is closed for fishing operation that use ring-net and bag-net gears regardless of the tonnage to boost fish production during the spawning season.
At present, the fishing ban has been lifted and is scheduled to be reinforced next year.
“On the third year implementation, we can now see the higher compliance level of fisher folks especially the bag-net and ring-net operators, the observation is there,” she said.
For the whole three-month period of fishing ban this year, only two violators has been recorded by BFAR-Davao.
Idris said that in Mati City, Davao Oriental, violators have been caught.
It was noted that the violators are not registered and not licensed.
The BFAR, in coordination with Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for Southern Mindanao, Maritime Unit of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Philippine Navy, is monitoring fishermen who are using ring-net and bag net in fishing.
“We wanted to promote voluntary compliance among our fisher folks,” she said.
Even with the lifting of the ban, Idris reminded the commercial vessel operators to still observe some regulations such as the “no fishing in municipal waters” policy. Municipal waters are those within the first 15 kilometers of the shore from the land.
She also reminded all the commercial vessel operators to register all their boats, operators and crew within October 2016.
Higher fish sufficiency
For the strict implementation of closed-season last year, BFAR-Davao data bared the growth in the fisheries production in 2015 resulted to a hike of 22 percent in fish sufficiency as compared to the same period in 2014.
She added that the region is one of the contributors in the country’s fisheries production.
When asked about their target for this year, Idris said that they cannot set a target yet but they are confident that higher fish catch can be recorded for this year’s implementation considering the fisher folks commendable participation.
Idris said the bureau accounts a total production of 251,342 metric tons from 2012 to 2015 based on the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) data.
“This means more small-scale fisher folks are benefitting from this program,” Idris said.
Jaime Conson, 42-year old fisherman from Mabini town, Compostela Valley, in a separate interview with SunStar Davao, shared that the close-season has helped them in many ways.
“For me, we are bound to observe the close season to protect the small pelagic fishes during their spawning period in order to allow growth of fishes here in Davao gulf,” he said in vernacular. Conson considered fishing as his livelihood for some 30 years now.
Apart from the close season, the higher fish production here was also attributed to the increase in aquaculture and marine municipal sub-sectors, implementation of the Targeted Actions to Reduce Poverty and Generate Economic Transformation (Target) Program.
The five mariculture parks in Panabo City and Samal in Davao del Norte, Pantukan town, Compostela Valley, Mati City in Davao Oriental, and Malita in Davao Occidental had shares in the production.
From 2012 to 2015, a total of 20,099 metric tons of bangus and other high value species were produced from the five mariculture parks, including mariculture zones in Malalag, Sta. Cruz, Sta. Maria towns and Digos City in Davao del Sur.
According to the PSA, the total production of bangus was 90,922 metric tons from 2012 to 2015, while seaweeds had a total production of 18,076 metric tons in the same period. (ASP)