The government has imposed a three-month ban on fishing tuna and other species in the Davao Gulf after the regional office of Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources learned that the species actively spawn this time of the year.
A joint administrative order by the secretaries of the Agriculture and the Interior departments ordered a closed season in Davao Gulf from June 1 to August 31 every year.
The closed season for commercial fishing vessels aims to conserve marine resources, secure the spawning period of pelagic fishes in the gulf and implement measures to address illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
“Davao Gulf is an ideal and potential spawning and breeding ground for tuna and tuna-like species,” BFAR 11 regional director Fatma Idris said.
Thirty of the the 49 municipalities in Davao are categorized as coastal areas.
Idris said the study confirmed that tuna spawns inside Davao Gulf where most of them can be found near its mouth.
She said special attention and strict enforcement should be given near the area and the eastern portion of the gulf, where high concentrations of tuna are found.
BFAR 11 is set to deploy six vessels to enforce the closed season, with two boats to patrol the Davao Oriental side of the gulf, another two along Samal Island, and two along Davao del Sur.
Under the terms of the closed season, fisherfolk or fishing companies will not be allowed to catch pelagic fishes using ring net and bag net. The ban also applies to small-scale to large-scale commercial fishing with vessels from 3.1 gross tons to more than 150 GT.
BFAR said based on the agency’s scientific studies, Davao Gulf was a key biodiversity area in the Philippines.
The area is listed as one of the 34 biodiversity hot spots in the world and is also the feeding ground for 11 species of cetaceans, including sperm whales, killer whales and bottle-nose dolphins, and nursing ground for five endangered turtle species, including hawksbill, leatherback, and olive ridley.
Davao Gulf serves as the final catchment for all runoffs, erosion and effluents coming from several watersheds in the region.
The Department of Science and Technology reported in 2012 the decline of fish catch in the region from 2000 to 2010 due to water pollution, destroyed fishing habitat, diminishing sea grass, conversion of mangrove planting areas to recreational resorts and poor fishing practices.
BFAR 11’s National Stock Assessment Program indicated that small pelagic fish production has declined and has not been sufficient to meet the demand for fish in the region.