TACLOBAN CITY — Thirteen local government units in Southern Leyte are drafting municipal fisheries ordinances that will adopt fisheries management measures specifically for sardines and siganids, more commonly known as danggit.

At the center of the proposed ordinances is the adoption of a Sardines Fishery Management Plan that will impose a closed fishing season for sardines from 1 December to 31 March.

During the closed season, the catching, landing, or selling of sardines, including fry and juveniles, will be prohibited. The ordinance also bans the harvesting, landing, or sale of sardines measuring below 14 centimeters to allow the species to reproduce and sustain its population.

The LGUs expected to adopt similar measures are Maasin City, Macrohon, Malitbog, Padre Burgos, Tomas Oppus, Bontoc, Sogod, Libagon, Liloan, Pintuyan, San Francisco, San Ricardo, and Limasawa.

The Sardines FMP-based ordinance will also regulate the use of the three most commonly used fishing gears in sardine fisheries — drift gill nets, bag nets, and ring nets.

These fishing gears will be prohibited during the closed season. Outside the closed season, their use will be strictly regulated and limited to 16 fishing days per month to reduce pressure on sardine stocks and support their recovery and long-term sustainability.

Christine Gresola, regional information officer of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

in Eastern Visayas, said the closed fishing season for sardines will be implemented throughout Fisheries Management Area 9 (FMA-9).

FMA-9 covers 2.82 million hectares of waters across 11 provinces in five regions. These include Bohol and Siquijor in Central Visayas; Southern Leyte in Eastern Visayas; Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur in the Zamboanga Peninsula; Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and Misamis Oriental in Northern Mindanao; and Agusan del Norte and Surigao del Norte in the Caraga Region.

Gresola said the closed season aims to conserve and protect sardine populations during their peak spawning period, allowing fish stocks depleted by overfishing to recover.

The proposed municipal fisheries ordinances also include periodic fishing bans for siganid species, along with habitat protection and rehabilitation measures to help ensure the recovery and sustainability of danggit populations.

“Through these ordinances, we hope to strengthen sustainable fishing practices through harmonized regulations and improved enforcement,” said Retchie Jacob Madrona.

Ruel Natividad, a senior agriculturist at the Southern Leyte Provincial Agricultural Services Office, said the proposed regulations on sardines and siganids mark an important transition from broad planning to clearer and enforceable locally responsive policies.