The Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources officially lifted on Monday the 10th closed fishing season for sardines in the Zamboanga Peninsula. The closed fishing season has been implemented in accordance with Bureau Administrative Circular 255 as a marine conservation measure to help protect and conserve sardine species in the Zamboanga Peninsula. Beginning every December 1, the closed fishing season bans the catching of sardines for 3 months using purse seine, ringnet, bagnet and scoopnet within a conservation area covering the East Sulu Sea, Basilan Strait, and Sibuguey Bay. The closed season enables sardines fish stocks to replenish and recover, ensuring the abundance of sardines and other fishery resources in the area

Campos O. V. (2021, March 2). Sardine fishing season reopened. Manila Standard, p. A3.