Phl to import 25,000 tons of fish in closed season
Importations have been made necessary by the yearly ban on fishing on traditional fishing grounds of local fishermen to allow fish species to spawn and recover
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The Philippines will import 25,000 metric tons of fish for wet markets during the closed fishing season from November 2022 to January 2023, the Department of Agriculture said.
Under DA's Special Order No. 1002, the Agriculture department has approved the issuance of a "Certificate of Necessity to Import" frozen round scad (galunggong), mackerel, bonito, and moonfish as recommended by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
The DA added that the maximum importable volume of 25,000 MT of fish should be allocated to registered importers.
For registered importers belonging to the commercial fishing sector, DA said 80 percent of the maximum importable volume should be allocated based on the fish landings of the commercial fishing operators for the past three years immediately preceding the importation period as certified by the PFDA Port Manager, the BFAR Regional Director or Municipal Port Administrator.
For fisheries associations or cooperatives, 20 percent of the maximum importable volume shall be allocated based on their disposition reports from the immediately preceding importation period.
Strict compliance
"All qualified importers shall strictly comply with Food Safety Standards provided under the law and relevant regulations," the DA said.
The agency added that all Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances (SPSICs) under the Certificates of Necessity to Import (CNI) 25,000 metric tons should be issued on or before 15 December.
According to the DA, the validity period shall be 45 days from the date of issuance.
No SPSICs under this CNI shall be deemed valid after 30 January, the Agriculture department added.
"The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) shall encourage the immediate disposal of the imported fish under CN125,000 MT to ensure that it will not overlap with the local catch by the end of the closed fishing season," the special order mentioned.
Importations have been made necessary by the yearly ban on fishing on traditional grounds of local fishermen to allow fish species to spawn and recover.