TACLOBAN CITY: Sardine fishing in Sogod Bay in Southern Leyte will be suspended for three months beginning Dec 1.
The move is intended to allow fish stocks to replenish and reproduce as part of the government's annual conservation programme, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said.
The closed fishing season covers Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 9, which includes Sogod Bay, under Fisheries Administrative Order No. 278.
The ban will remain in effect until March 1, 2027, and will be observed annually during the same period unless adjusted in accordance with the provisions of the order.
During the closed season, the catching and harvesting of sardines, locally known as lopoy, mangsi, dayang and salinyasi, will be prohibited using specified fishing gear.
These include ring nets, locally called likom or sinsoro; bag nets or basnig; drift gillnets or palaran; scoop nets or sikpaw or hawad; encircling gillnets or pangtapis or panglikos; and purse seines or pangulong.
The prohibition covers 13 local government units in Southern Leyte: Maasin City, Macrohon, Malitbog, Padre Burgos, Tomas Oppus, Bontoc, Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, San Francisco, Pintuyan, San Ricardo and Limasawa.
Under the order, the presence of prohibited fishing gear and harvested sardines aboard a fishing boat or vessel may serve as prima facie evidence of a violation.
Violators may face fines and other penalties under existing fisheries laws and regulations.
The annual closed season is a fisheries management measure designed to give sardine populations time to reproduce and replenish.
The programme helps prevent overfishing and maintain the long-term productivity of Sogod Bay.
Sogod Bay is an important fishing ground in Southern Leyte, supporting the livelihoods of coastal communities that depend on fishing and related activities. - Inquirer/ANN
