Philippine Fisheries Development Authority – Zamboanga Fish Port Complex (PFDA-ZFPC) joined the 13th send-off ceremony for sardines closed fishing season at the Officers’ Club of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao Command (NAVFORWEM) in Calarian, Zamboanga City on November 14, 2023. 

This year, the annual three-month ban on sardine fishing will be from November 15, 2023 (instead of December 1) to February 15, 2024, covering the sardine fishing grounds around Zamboanga Peninsula, including East Sulu, Basilan Strait, and Sibugay Bay. The advanced start of the activity coincides with the spawning period of various sardine varieties based on recent studies and the implementation of the closed fishing season in the Visayan Sea. 

Pursuant to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Administrative Circular No. 255 series of 2014, the Send-Off Ceremony for Closed Fishing Season is annually conducted to jumpstart the three-month conservation measures to protect the sardine species. During these periods, Team Officers and Members of the BFAR are deployed in the said areas to intensively monitor and control the fishery activities of our local fisher folks.

During this period, catching, selling, and buying sardines, mackerel, and herring in a portion of the biodiversity-rich Visayan Sea is also prohibited during this period. 

Serving as a conservation measure, closed fishing seasons are aimed at protecting economically important species during their peak spawning season. It also aims to address overfishing, and climate change, among other concerns.

(Mark Angelo N. Perez – Public Information Division with report and photos from Mary Felice Cirilo – PFDA-ZFPC)