DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) officials on Wednesday inspected imported mackerel at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) suspected to be illegally shipped from China.
Three of 21 container vans containing frozen mackerel were opened and importer, Pacific Sealand Foods Corp., was said to have “failed to produce a sanitary and phytosanitary import clearance when the shipment of an estimated 567 metric tons of mackerel was unloaded at the MICP.”
“At current market prices, this frozen mackerel shipment is worth P178.5 million,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
In August, Tiu Laurel ordered the importation of fish in response to a shortfall caused by the closed fishing season imposed annually in the Davao Gulf, as well as in the Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula.
The three-month long closed fishing season will start on November 1 in waters northeast of Palawan, and from November 15 in the Visayan Seas and Zamboanga Peninsula. These areas are known grounds for small pelagic fishes like sardines and mackerel.
Tiu Laurel said the order calls for the importation of 30,000 metr ic tons of pelagic fish species, which must arrive in the country before Jan. 15, 2025. Fish imports are typically done near the yearend, based on updated projections of fish supply and demand.
Imports arriving before the closed fishing season starts will only be released to the market starting Oct. 1.
Majority, or 80 percent of the import volume, will be allocated to registered importers from the commercial fishing sector, while the rest would go to fisheries associations and cooperatives.
A minimum import volume of 112 metric tons, equivalent to four container vans, will be allocated to commercial importers, while the minimum import volume for fisheries associations and cooperatives will be 56 metric tons or two containers. Additional import volume will be determined based on an importer’s percentage share of fish landings in the last three years.
“Importers must ensure the fish supply comes from reputable sources and does not stem from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing,” the DA said.
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