Citing the need for the Visayan Sea to have the rest that it deserves, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Western Visayas has started to implement the three-month closed season in the area. Starting Sunday, November 15, until February 15, 2021, the fishing ban is provided under Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 167-3 series of 2013. It provides for the legal basis in enforcing a spatial and temporal closure in the portion of the area. The closed season is the agency's annual measure to allow the spawning of sardines, herrings and mackerels in the Visayan Sea.

BFAR: Visayan Sea deserves rest. (2020, November 17). SunStar Cebu, p. 13.