In anticipation of the World Fisheries Day on November 21, 2020, learn more about fisheries and our efforts to conserve and protect its richness and diversity through a series of mini-games and trivia.

Find the words listed below!

MALINIS at MASAGANANG KARAGATAN

The Malinis at Masaganang Karagatan (MMK): The Annual Search for the Most Outstanding Coastal Community is DA-BFAR’s flagship program that promotes fisheries protection and conservation. Every year, three winning municipalities are awarded at the national level as the most outstanding municipalities in the country based of the following criteria: no illegal fishing; observance of off-fishing season; declared and protected marine sanctuary; clean coastal waters without any garbage or industrial effluence flowing to the sea; and effective mangrove protection and rehabilitation program.

NETS

Did you know that using fine mesh nets is prohibited by law with some exceptions (see RA 10654 Sec 93)? Violators can pay steep fines and imprisonment of six months to two years if convicted.

SHRIMP

Shrimp is one of the country’s major aquaculture commodities enjoyed by many local seafood lovers. It is one of the country’s major fisheries exports. It is now exported to countries like Japan, United States, South Korea, UAE, and countries in the European Union.

SHELLFISH

Did you know shellfish are filter feeders? Through the opening and closing movement of the valves and the beating action of the gills, water entering the shells is strained and nutrients are obtained. No artificial or commercial feed input is needed as they depend mainly on natural food. Shellfishes feed on phytoplankton which are microscopic plants floating on water.

EAFM

EAFM stands for Ecosystem-based Approach to Fisheries Management, an approach to fisheries that strives to balance diverse societal objectives or needs by taking account of the knowledge and uncertainties about biotic, abiotic, and human components of ecosystems and their interaction and applying an integrated approach to fisheries management within ecologically meaningful boundaries. It may be synonymously used with “ecosystem approach to fisheries management.

IUUF

IUUF stands for Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing. Did you know that to address IUUF, the Bureau currently deploys 107 floating assets in different parts of the country? These floating assets are used in the monitoring, control, surveillance (MCS) operations of the Bureau conducted in coordination with other maritime law enforcement agencies.

IUCN

IUCN refers to International Union for Conservation of Nature. They maintain the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, ‘the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plants and animal species.’ Under the Amended Fisheries Code, threatened aquatic species listed under IUCN Red List are regulated under RA 10654, Section 102.

CITES

CITES refers to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, an international agreement between governments to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threatened their survival. CITES maintains three appendices in which species are grouped to how threatened they are by international trade. Under the Amended Fisheries Code, threatened aquatic species listed in CITES Appendices are regulated under RA 10654, Section 102.

BFAR

BFAR stands for Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, a line Bureau under the Department of Agriculture, whose responsibility and jurisdiction is the management, conservation, development, protection, utilization, and disposition of all fisheries and aquatic resources of the country, as well as all Philippine flagged fishing vessels operating in areas governed by a Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO), in the high seas, or in waters of other coastal states.

PELAGIC

Pelagic fishes are species that live in the open waters and seas. Did you know that in Davao Gulf, it is prohibited to catch small pelagic species every June 1 to August 31 every year? Small pelagic species in Davao gulf includes galunggong, matangbaka, and karabalyas.

GEARS

According to the Amended Fisheries Code, fishing gears refers to any instrument or device and its accessories utilized in taking fish and other fishery species. There are two types of fishing gears: active fishing gears and passive fishing gears.

AQUATIC

Did you know that the Philippines is the center of the center of marine biodiversity? The Philippines lies in the coral triangle, an area in the world rich in aquatic life. Around 76% of the world’s coral species can be found in the coral triangle. It is also home to six of world’s seven marine turtle species.

TILAPIA

Did you know that the Bureau has a current collaborative project with the NFRDI and SEAFDEC on the research and development (R&D) of low-cost feeds for tilapia? The project, when completed, will lower the production cost, and ensures growth in the tilapia industry, being one of the major players in the aquaculture arena in the country.

BOAT

Did you know that presently, there are around 272,835 registered fishing boats in the country? Majority of which are used for municipal fishing (265,481 units) and the remaining boats are registered for commercial fishing (7,354 units). DA-BFAR highly encourages fisherfolks to register their newly procured fishing boats in your respective LGUs.

CONSERVE

Did you know that the declaration of closed fishing season in the country’s major fishing grounds is one way to conserve its fisheries resources? For sardines and small pelagics, the closed fishing seasons are annually observed in the following areas: Davao Gulf (Jun 01-Aug 31); Palawan Waters (Nov 01 – Jan 31); Visayan Sea (Nov 15 – Feb 15); BaSulTa & Zamboanga Sibuguey (Dec 01-Mar 01). For the fish Ludong, closed fishing season is observed annually from October 01 to November 15 at the Cagayan Valley rivers and tributaries.

DAGAT

Did you know that DA-BFAR is currently implementing a new policy to sustainably manage our country’s fishing grounds? The new policy is Fisheries Administrative Order No. 263 s. 2019, otherwise known as the Establishment of the Twelve (12) Fisheries Management Areas (FMA) in the country. FMA is the spatial delineation of our Philippine waters to find an appropriate scale of management, using an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management. It approximates fish stocks and their distribution based on best available science.

TUNA

Did you know that tuna meat contains high protein content (25.5 g / 3 oz serving)? It contains Omega-3 fatty acid which can help in preventing hypertension. It also helps regulate good cholesterol in the body.