The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has closed off the waters off the Zamboanga peninsula from fishers for two months beginning mid-November.
The agency said this will allow sardines and other fish stock to recover and boost local supply.
The area closure affects the waters of the East-Sulu Sea, the Basilan Strait and Sibuguey Bay when sardine fishing is banned from 15 November to 15 February simultaneous to the closed fishing season for small pelagics including the Visayan sea.
Prior to this, fishing was prohibited in the Zamboanga peninsula from December to March.
Nazario Briguera, BFAR spokesperson, told reporters the revised fishing season resulted from updated studies showing fish spawn from October until January of the following year, allowing fish to repopulate.
Research under the National Stock Assessment Program and by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute in Zamboanga Peninsula also show the spawning period peak during the months of October until January.
The agency also said the closed season is regularly reviewed as to the best management strategy ensuring the sustainability and conservation of sardines.
Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, agriculture production value dropped 1.3 percent in the second quarter this year as fishing activities dropped 14.2 percent during the period.Production declines were observed for bigeye tuna, skipjack, fimbriated sardines, grouper, yellowfin tuna, sapsap, milkfish, blue crab, squid, mud crab, frigate tuna, bisugo, alumahan, tilapia, talakitok, tamban, matangbaka and seaweed.
