The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said there is enough fish supply in the country after it reported the recording of a 10-day ending stock equivalent to 87,539.04 metric tons (MT) of fish.
USec. Cheryl Caballero said in a virtual presser of the Department of Agriculture (DA) that the ending stock signifies the substantial availability of fish supply by the end of the year.
According to BFAR data, the country has a total fish supply of 3,420,232.09 MT which came from the local supply volume of 2,946,165 MT, the intervention of the bureau that resulted in 75,178 MT, and from imports with 403,259 MT.
“Sa loob ng sampung araw, meron pa rin tayong substantial na availability noong ating isda. The ending stock is recorded at 87,539.04 metric tons— hindi tayo dapat mabahala na kahit dyan ang bagyo, nandiyan ang karampatang intervention,” she said.
Meanwhile, Caballero stressed that the closed-fishing season implementation is a way adopted by the bureau to have conservation measures.
“We have to do sustainability measures to make sure na ito ang ating spawning period na binibigay natin para mangitlog at lumaki ang mga isda,” she said.
BFAR has started the sixth year of a three-month ban on round scad or galunggong catching in northeastern Palawan from November 1 to January 31.
This annual initiative of both the commercial fishing industry and the government pursuant to Department of Agriculture-Department of Interior and Local Government (DA-DILG) Joint Memorandum Order No. 1 of 2015.
It is consistent with Republic Act No. 8550 as amended by Republic Act No. 10654.
“I think meron din pamamaraan para sila (commercial fishing) ay ma-offset ang kanilang investment. We should be able to see their fish landing activities para ma-establish natin na sila ay nagko-contribute sa fish production,” she said.
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