‘Tawilis’ annual fishing ban in Taal Lake to start March

NATURAL HABITAT A fishing boat waits for its crew on a calm Taal Lake with the quiet Taal Volcano in the background, in this photo taken in October 2019. The lake is the habitat of “tawilis” (right), a freshwater sardine species that is a staple fare in most households around the lake. —PHOTOS COURTESY OF DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES CALABARZON

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has announced the upcoming annual two-month ban for “tawilis” (Sardinella tawilis) fishing in Taal Lake in Batangas province.

“The public is again advised that the temporary suspension and/or prohibition of catching/fishing (active or passive), selling, trading, transporting or bringing to markets, and other transactions related to the trade of tawilis are in effect during the closed season,” the DENR-Calabarzon said in an announcement in Filipino dated Feb. 12.

The DENR advisory, which was posted by the Protected Area Management Office-Taal Volcano Protected Landscape on its Facebook page, included a warning that violators will face the corresponding penalties.

“The public is encouraged not to support tawilis caught through illegal methods and to be vigilant and immediately report any witnessed violations to the authorities,” the DENR appealed to the public.

Authorities only allowed the traditional fishing methods in Taal Lake or those that used gill nets, spear guns, and hook and line.

The illegal fishing methods and gears referred to the use of trawls and dredgers, and fine mesh nets in catching the endangered freshwater sardine.

Trawls destroy the natural seafloor habitat by disturbing the lake bed, affecting bottom-dwelling plants and animals by tearing up root systems or animal burrows, while dredgers damage or destroy fish spawning grounds and make river banks unstable by disturbing the bottom of the body of water.

Fine mesh nets can capture even juvenile fish, according to fishery authorities.

The “closed season” from March 1 until April 30 aims to preserve the tawilis, which is endemic to Taal Lake. The period is the peak spawning period of the fish.

A female tawilis can produce as many as 18,000 eggs per spawning season, but each fish can grow to only about 12.7 centimeters (5 inches) long.

Fishers from localities surrounding the lake enjoy abundant catch, mainly sold in local markets.

‘Poor man’s fish’ no more

Tawilis, the world’s only freshwater sardine, is a delicacy once considered the “poor man’s fish” and a household staple in the communities around the lake.

There is a growing demand for the tawilis, commonly prepared as a deep-fried and crispy dish, being sold in roadside eateries and classy restaurants in Batangas and in Tagaytay City in Cavite province, which also overlooks Taal Lake. It is also being sold online as bottled sardines for local and foreign consumption.

READ: ‘Tawilis’ production seen to decline after Taal blast

In 2018, the International Union for Conservation of Nature declared the tawilis an endangered species, triggering the two-month “closed season,” or fishing ban.

Studies found multiple reasons for the decreasing population of the tawilis, one of which was overfishing.

Other threats included environmental pollution brought by the proliferation of fish cages and the use of too many fish feeds that eventually rot in the waters. INQ