The Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) Caraga has launched the first leg of the Sardines Fisheries Management Plan (FMP) rollout in Butuan City on Monday, September 29, 2025, gathering key officials from the local government units, and partner agencies to discuss measures for sustainable sardine management in Agusan del Norte.

The event featured discussions on the salient features of the Sardines FMP, harvest strategies, and management actions to address key issues in sardine fisheries.

Members of the technical working group of FMA Coordinating Unit (FCU)-Caraga served as resource persons in the activity. Jun Mark D. Guerra, alternate officer-in-charge of the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, outlined the framework and management arrangements under the Fisheries Management Area (FMA)-9 sardines FMP. Joyce M. Baclayo, project leader of the National Stock Assessment Program, discussed the FMP’s harvest strategy to the stakeholders. Meanwhile, Atty. Eharra Christa Lasala, head of the Legal Unit, presented the proposed Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) on the sardines closed season in Fisheries Management Area (FMA-9).

Among the national government agencies present during the forum were the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development, Department of Labor and Employment, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and Department of Social Welfare and Development to explore potential collaboration and convergence for the proposed closed season in the FMA-9 covered areas in the region.

The sardines FMP rollout is part of the Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe) Project’s effort to implement science-based management within FMA-9.

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