Panatag Shoal fishing ban to end July 15, but could be extended — Malacañang

The two-month fishing ban covering the West Philippine Sea waters around the disputed Panatag (Scarborough) is due to end on July 15, according to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, but a Malacañang spokesperson said Saturday the BFAR can opt to extend the ban “if conditions call for it.”   Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said on state-run dzRB radio that the assessment of the BFAR of the fisheries conditions around the shoal “has to be discussed with other agencies” but she did not elaborate.   The fishing ban spans the 60 square nautical miles of Panatag Shoal and the one-mile distance from its margins—all totaling 90 square nautical miles.   When he imposed the ban, BFAR director Asis Perez said “the issuance of the closed season is a precautionary approach for the protection and conservation of the marine resources in the area.” But Perez did not present details on what measures will be implemented to protect and conserve the marine resources of the shoal.   He did say though that the BFAR will conduct a scientific study to generate a  complete assessment of the fisheries and marine resources at and around Panatag Shoal. Since last April, the Philippines and China have been locked in a standoff about the shoal as played out through the mobilization and maneuvering of sea vessels in and out of the waters at Panatag. Citing bad weather conditions mid-June, President Benigno Aquino III pulled out the ships of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and BFAR but Chinese ships continue moving in and out of the shoal, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the PCG. — ELR, GMA News