Closed fishing season for galunggong in Palawan starts –BFAR

The months-long closed fishing season for round scad or “galunggong” in Palawan has started, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said Friday.

The annual fishing ban started on November 1, 2023, and would last until January 31, 2024, Bernadette Reyes reported on “24 Oras.”

Meanwhile, sardines, herring, and mackerel fishing in the Visayan Sea, as well as sardine fishing off the Zamboanga Peninsula, would be prohibited from November 15, 2023, to February 15, 2024.

“Para magkaroon ng pagkakataon ang ating fish stocks na makapag-repopulate,” said BFAR Chief Information Officer Nazzer Briguera.

(We implement the policy to allow fish stocks to repopulate.)

To ease the impact of the closed fishing season, Briguera said the government was planning to import at least 35,000 metric tons of fish - galunggong, mackerel, bonito, and moonfish.

The importation would be halted during the fishing season.

“Ayaw natin magkaroon ng kompetisyon sa pagitan ng local production at sa ating importation,” he added.

(We don’t want the local production to compete with the importation.)

For its part, the food security and livelihood advocacy group Tugon Kabuhayan said stakeholders were prepared for the annual closed fishing season.

“’Yung standby na importation, that is supposed to respond to about 70% of the expected decline introduction, and then the remainder is supposed to be taken care of by the aquaculture sector,” said Tugon Kabuhayan co-convenor Asis Perez.

(The importation is supposed to respond to about 70% of the expected decline introduction and then the remainder is supposed to be taken care of by the aquaculture sector.) — Sundy Locus/DVM, GMA Integrated News