The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) has temporarily lifted the closed fishing season for reef-fish-for-food (RFF) in response to the petition of local fisherfolk.
During the PCSD’s 300th regular council meeting, Governor Victorino Dennis Socrates emphasized the complaints of local fishermen harmed by the fishing prohibition.
According to Socrates, the closed fishing season would have a direct impact on the livelihood of fishermen and their families.
Catching and shipping live reef fish is banned under PCSD Administrative Order No. 5 from March 1 to May 31.
During the closed fishing season, it is prohibited to catch and trade RFF such as leopard coral trout or grouper (suno), estuarine or green grouper (loba), and tiger or brown marbled grouper (lapung baboy).
It was adopted to alleviate the province’s diminishing catch of the three RFF species.
Previously, the provincial administration had a dialogue with Palawan’s fisherfolk groups, where they unanimously requested that the fishing prohibition be lifted.
The council has chosen to endorse the governor’s motion despite the recommendation of the PCSD’s Environment and National Resources and Legal and Intergovernmental Affairs Committees to implement the restriction in order to collect data on the impact of the closed season on the environment.
The fishermen were also reminded to rigorously observe the natural closed season every month, two days prior to the new new moon, one day during the new moon, and two days after the new moon’s completion.
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