With illegal fishing still threatening the country’s most productive marine corridor, fisheries officials from Western and Central Visayas have tightened inter-regional coordination as the two areas observe the annual Visayan Sea closed season. In a joint policy dialogue held on November 14 in Estancia, Iloilo, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Region 6 director Remia Aparri and Region 7 director Mario Ruinata convened enforcement agencies, local leaders, and fisherfolk groups to strengthen implementation of Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 167-3, which imposes a three-month fishing ban in the Visayan Sea.

Galigao, N. N. (2025, November 21). Regions 6 and 7 ramp up coordination as BFAR enforces Visayan Sea cloased season. Panay News, pp. 3, 15.