The importation is in anticipation of reduced fish supply due to the implementation of the three-month closed fishing season that starts November 1 in waters northeast of Palawan and from November 15 in the Visayan Sea and Zamboanga Peninsula. All three areas are spawning grounds for small pelagic fishes like sardines and mackerel.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. ruled out a major revamp in agencies of the Department of Agriculture after a series of decisions by the Office of the Ombudsman relieving the heads of the National Food Authority and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
The El Niño phenomenon is weakening although its most obvious manifestations of hotter and drier conditions will continue to be felt across the country, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAG-ASA.