The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has lifted the three-month closed fishing seasons in key fishing grounds in the Visayas and Mindanao, allowing commercial fishing operations to resume starting today, 16 February.

In an announcement, BFAR said the conservation ban in the Visayan Sea has ended. The restriction covered the harvesting of sardines, herrings and mackerels, which are among the country’s most commercially important fish species.

With the lifting of the ban, commercial fishers may resume operations within the designated conservation area in the Visayan Sea. The three-month closure was implemented to allow fish stocks to reproduce and breed, supporting long-term sustainability and a stable supply for both local markets and the fish processing industry.

The bureau also announced the end of the closed fishing season in the Zamboanga Peninsula. The ban covered sardine fishing in the waters of East Sulu, Basilan Strait and Sibuguey Bay—major sources of sardine supply for canning factories and domestic consumption.

Commercial fishers operating within the conservation areas of the Zamboanga Peninsula may now return to sea following the three-month prohibition on catching sardines.