Thirteen local government units (LGUs) in Southern Leyte are drafting municipal fisheries ordinances to implement species-specific management measures for sardines and siganids, locally known as danggit.
Central to the proposed ordinances is the Sardines Fishery Management Plan, which will impose a closed fishing season from December 1 to March 31. During this period, the catching, landing, or selling of sardines—including fry and juveniles—will be prohibited. The ordinance also bans harvesting sardines smaller than 14 centimeters, allowing populations to reproduce and sustain themselves.
The LGUs expected to adopt these measures include Maasin City, Macrohon, Malitbog, Padre Burgos, Tomas Oppus, Bontoc, Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, Pintuyan, San Francisco, San Ricardo, and Limasawa.
The ordinance also regulates the three most common fishing gears for sardines—drift gill nets, bag nets, and ring nets. These gears will be banned during the closed season, while outside the restricted months, their use will be limited to 16 fishing days per month to ease pressure on stocks.
Christine Gresola, regional information officer of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Eastern Visayas, said the closed season will apply across Fisheries Management Area 9 (FMA-9), which spans 2.82 million hectares across 11 provinces in five regions, including Bohol, Siquijor, Southern Leyte, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Norte, and Surigao del Norte.
“The closed season aims to conserve sardine populations during their peak spawning period, allowing depleted stocks to recover,” Gresola said.
The proposed ordinances also introduce periodic fishing bans for siganid species and include habitat protection and rehabilitation measures to support the long-term sustainability of danggit populations. Retchie Jacob Madrona, a fisheries advocate, emphasized that the measures will harmonize regulations and improve enforcement of sustainable fishing practices.
Ruel Natividad, senior agriculturist at the Southern Leyte Provincial Agricultural Services Office, described the regulations as a key step from broad planning to enforceable, locally responsive policies that support both conservation and local livelihoods.
Related topics:
