In support of the government’s ban on sardine fishing, a non-government organization has started with the construction of so-called “fish condos” to help rehabilitate coral reefs in the Visayan Sea.

Lawyer Tony Oposa, prime mover of the School of the Sea and Earth Advocates in Bantayan Island, said that they have partnered with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for the construction of “fish condos,” which is a simple and inexpensive way of building fish shelter.

“It has been a long wait, but it is still is worth the advocacy I began to protect the Visayan Sea from all forms of destructive activities which is now gaining more serious support from government,” Oposa said.

Depending on the size, the fish condo could be build for a minimum of P150 apiece, he added.

The official noted that the materials used in the fish shelter closely approximates that of the coral reef, which is made mostly from the calcium carbonate secretions of tiny marine animals commonly referred as corals.

A fish condo, which can be constructed from a concreted net-covered bamboo frame, is a structure where gravid fish could lay their eggs. It can also provide refuge for small fishes as marine plants and other organisms could attach and grow in the artificial shelter.

The concrete cast, in turn, is made from three-fourths calcium-rich limestones combined with one-fourth part concrete and shredded plastic wraps.

“I urge our stakeholders to support this important management measure to ensure the sustainable production of sardines and mackerel in our seas,” Oposa said.

He added that because of rampant dynamite and cyanide fishing, there is not a single reef in the Bantayan Island that is in good condition.

Bantayan Island is part of BFAR’s four-month fishing ban on mackerel and sardines, which started on November 15. The fishing ban covers the Visayan seas, which straddle the Bicol Region as well as the western, central and eastern Visayas regions.

BFAR expanded the restriction coverage to the Visayan seas based on studies that the three major species of sardines such as fimbriated sardines (tunsoy), Indian sardines (tam-ban) and round herring (tulis) in the waters of Zamboanga province and Visayan seas belong to a single stock, which meant that the fish breed and spawn at the same time.

The Visayan seas have been generating 80,000 metric tons of sardines and mackerel annually and a hiked production of 20 percent would already be a considerable increase of fish stock.

The mackerel and sardines are used in the canning industry and are sometimes sold in markets often as dried fish.