3-month closed season in Davao Gulf set

The three-month closed season for the Davao Gulf will resume beginning June to allow tuna and other fish species to spawn.

A Joint Administrative Order by the secretaries of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior and Local Government mandated the implementation from June 1 to August 31 of the closed season in the Davao Gulf.

“The closed season for commercial fishing boats aimed to conserve marine resources, to secure the spawning period of pelagic fishes in the gulf and improve the country’s compliance with the European Commission’s regulations specifically on unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing,’ Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Davao Region Director Fatma Idris said.

She said the Davao Gulf is an ideal and potential spawning and breeding ground for tuna and tuna-like species. Of the 49 municipalities in the region, 30 are categorized as coastal.

Idris said study confirms that tuna spawns inside Davao Gulf where most of them can be found near the mouth of the gulf. Thus, she added, special attention and strict enforcement s should be given near the mouth and eastern portion of the gulf where high concentrations of tuna was found.

The government's campaign against IUUF is one of the measures being implemented to remove the country's yellow card tag given by the European Union (EU).

Perez said unless the country shapes up and complies with the other conditions set by EU then it may be banned from exporting its fish resources in one if its main markets. The Philippines has exported P9.4 billion of fish products to the EU in 2014.

Under the terms of the Closed Season, fishermen or fishing companies will not be allowed to catch pelagic fishes using ringnet and bagnet. The ban also applies to small-scale to large scale commercial fishing with vessels from 3.1 gross tons (GT) to more than 150 GT. (lovely carillo)