Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has approved the importation of 25,000 metric tons of pelagic fish species in preparation for the upcoming closed fishing season on several major local fishing grounds starting in November this year.

According to DA, the arrival of the fish imports in the country is expected before 15 January, next year.

The three-month closed fishing season will start on 1 November in the waters of northeast Palawan and on 15 November in the Visayan Seas and Zamboanga Peninsula, which are all growing areas of small pelagic fish such as sardines and mackerel.

The agri chief said that registered importers from the commercial fishing sector will be allotted 80 percent of the import volume, while the remaining will be for fisheries associations and cooperatives.

"A minimum import volume of 112 metric tons, equivalent to four containers, will be allocated to commercial importers while the MIV for fisheries associations and cooperatives will be 56 metric tons or two containers," the DA said.

"Additional import volume will be determined based on an importer's percentage share of fish landings in the last three years prior to the importation," it added.

Laurel said that the importers may opt to apply for sanitary and phytosanitary permits anytime after the effectivity of the agency's order to import fish, which has a validity period from 1 September to 30 November this year.

Moreover, he said that frozen pelagic fish species could only be released to the market on 1 October, while the last batch of imported fish must arrive no later than 15 January 2025.

"BFAR shall encourage importers to immediately trade imported fish to ensure that it doesn't overlap with local catch by the end of the closed fishing season," Laurel said, noting that fish imported under a certificate of necessity to import must be reported to and consolidated by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

The closed fishing season follows BFAR's Administrative Circular No. 255 in 2014, which establishes a closed season annually for the conservation of sardines in the East Sulu Sea, Basilan Strait, and Sibuguey Bay.

During this temporal sea closure, the killing and catching of fishery species such as sardines, herrings, and mackerels are prohibited in some areas.