Confronted and confounded by the unending problem of illegal fishing, Visayas governors and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) signed over the weekend a covenant for the conservation, protection, and restoration of the Visayan Sea.The parties agreed to collaborate and cooperate in the declaration of the Visayan Sea with coordinates 11~' to 12~'N 123~' to 124~'E covering an area of 10,000 square kilometers (sq. km.), more or less, to be a “Visayan Sea Fishery Management Area.” They also shall adopt a Management Framework for the Conservation, Protection and Restoration of the Visayan Sea, which will be the basis of a joint Management Plan formulated by each province for the harmonized implementation of the Visayan Sea Fishery Management Plan.

Conseva, L. H. (2017, July 24) Governor, BFAR sign pact to protect Visayan sea. The Daily Guardian, pp. 1, 7.