Residents of Sitio Looban in Masbate’s Mandoan town found along the shoreline an estimated three tons of juvenile herrings locally known as “Lupoy” on Wednesday morning, Feb. 22.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Bicol said the Mandaon’s Municipal Agriculture Office and the Provincial Fisheries Office of Masbate conducted a survey on the sardine beaching incident using locals’ testimonies.
“The beaching of juvenile fishes along the coastal barangay of Mandaon, Masbate is an indicator of something that we need to understand particularly on the science-based explanation of what really happened,” BFAR Regional Director Ariel Pioquinto said.
“There are a lot of possible triggers why sardine beaching occurs, it can be a sudden change in sea surface temperature and dissolved oxygen or it can be that their food source is near the shore, among others,” he added.
The BFAR said the “implementation of fishing closure in some parts of the country [helped] recover sardine population.”
“That regulation has been pivotal in recovering fish stocks in the Visayan Sea. There is a high occurrence of sardine beaching in areas where regulations have been implemented and it is also important to note that it is still peak season for sardines currently,” it stated.
Pioquinto thanked local government units and those supporting their “various programs pertaining to conservation, protection and proper management” of marine resources. – Katrina Gracia Consebido-ag
