Officially the closed fishing season yearly starts on November 15 and ends early February, but the Department of Agriculture readied and released the import order for 25,000 metric tons of fish days before the start of closed season.
Understandably, this would ensure supply for fish during the Christmas holidays for the usual feasts, parties and reunions. But with the peso continuously depreciating, who can afford to pay fish paid in foreign currencies that are now practically eroding the value of our local currency.
For the closed season of November until January 2023, the DA is again expecting a shortfall in fish supply, prompting it to approve the importation of 25,000 metric tons of frozen fish, despite protestation from local aquaculture producers, who earlier cited that there is no need for additional supplies despite the damage wrought by the recent typhoons.
Agriculture Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban issued Special Order 1002 series of 2022 outlining the guidelines for such importation on November 10.
The government allowed the entry of frozen roundscad, bigeye scad, mackerel, bonito and moonfish for wet market sale.
Panganiban explained that the SO was issued to provide clear-cut guidance on the implementation of the approved certificate of necessity to import (CNI) fish for wet market consumption. The issuance of a CNI is required prior to any importation of fish for wet market consumption, based on existing rules and regulations.
The approved import volume would be allocated among registered importers belonging to the commercial fishing sector and to fisheries associations and cooperatives.
Under the rules, commercial fishers shall corner 80 percent of the total approved import volume while the remaining 20 percent will be shared among fisheries associations and cooperatives.
“No SPSICs under this CNI shall be deemed valid after January 30, 2023,” the SO read.
“The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) shall encourage the immediate disposal of the imported fish under CNI 25,000 MT to ensure that it will not overlap with the local catch by the end of the closed fishing season,” it added.
The importation rules do not allow transfer of allocation between importers and the SPSICs issued for the importation program are not extendable nor transferable.
Meanwhile Rep. Reynan Arrogancia proposed the establishment of more marine hatcheries and marine parks to ensure continued fish supply for the country, particularly during closed fishing season.
“Marine hatcheries would help reduce fish imports and provide jobs to fisherfolk especially during closed fishing season,” he said as the closed season starts November 15 and ends February 15 in the Visayan Sea, where sardines, mackerel, and herrings abound.
For 2022, 37 new hatcheries were programmed in keeping with 27 national laws. The latest available Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources data says that nationwide there are also at least 39 marine parks.
In the waters off Northern Palawan, the closed fishing season started November 1 and will last for three months. Off the Zamboanga Peninsula, the fishing season is closed from December 1 until March 1.
Arrogancia said having more freshwater and saltwater marine single-species and multi-species hatcheries is among the ways to assure consumers of enough fish supply preparatory to the closed seasons.
“The Fiscal Incentives Review Board and the Board of Investments can also prioritize indoor vertical farms and marine hatcheries proposed by domestic and foreign investors.
Arrogancia said:
“Indoor farms and marine hatcheries can be located at the outer limits and just outside urban centers (where real property prices and rents are lower) so that harvests can be delivered fresh to the public markets and supermarkets.”