The closed season that prohibits fishing for sardines (tuloy, tamban, tabagak), herrings (balantiyong), and mackerels (guma-a, bulao, hasa-hasa) will be implemented in a portion of the Visayan Sea starting Friday, Nov. 15, until Feb. 15.
Called “Pahuway sang Baybay” (Respite of the Sea), this management measure will allow the small pelagic species to increase their biomass in the wild and ensure sustainable fisheries production, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Western Visayas announced on Wednesday.
The closed season will cover Escalante City, Negros Occidental, to the tip of Sta. Fe, Cebu. It also covers the northernmost tip of Madridejos, Cebu, to Gigantes Island, Iloilo, with the lighthouse as the marker. It then connects horizontally to Olotayan Island down to Roxas City, BFAR said.
Between Iloilo and Negros Occidental, the boundary starts from Talisay River in Barotac Nuevo to Tomonton Point in EB Magalona and closes in back to Danao River, it added.
BFAR said the following are covered by the closed season:
*Northern part of Iloilo – Barotac Nuevo, Anilao, Banate, Barotac Viejo, Ajuy, Concepcion, San Dionisio, Batad, Estancia, Balasan, and Carles;
* Part of Capiz – Roxas City, Pilar, Pontevedra, Pres. Roxas and Panay;
*Northern part Negros Occidental – EB Magalona, Victorias City, Manapla, Sagay City, Cadiz City, and Escalante City; and
*Bantayan Island in Cebu province.*