THE boatloads of small fishes, locally known as “hipon” ― being brought this week by lucky fishermen along the Macajalar Bay ― have caught the attention of City Hall officials who immediately called for discussion on the matter.
This, as the alarming crisis of the lowly tamban (sardine, herring) fish got worsened from day to day it already caused apprehension in the local fishing industry.
“(Hipon) fishing is illegal but it has been tolerated. We already had a bit of discussion of this as we encouraged the city legislators to work out an ordinance for seasonal fishing,” said Bencyrus Ellorin, concurrent communication head of newly-elected Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy.
Formerly working with the environmental group Task Force Macajalar, Ellorin said that harvesting the small variety of fish is obviously detrimental to the ocean wildlife populations.
“(Hipon) is a variety of small, juvenile fishes, usually post-larval and juvenile sardines (tamban) and bolinao (anchovies) found in marine and freshwater and in between ― estuaries. These are caught using fine mesh nets. A few days after hipon shows up, they go separate ways ― sort of finding their identities as bolinao “anchovies” and juvenile sardines. Although sardines and herrings are relatives, belonging to the Clupeidae family, herring grows bigger and is found largely in the North Sea. The Bureau of Fisheries lists tamban, toloy, and tunsoy as sardine,” Ellorin explained.
Ellorin, however, showed concern for the welfare of the ordinary fishermen whom he said would normally encounter two major problems such as pollution that is destructive to the sea habitat and over-fishing perpetrated by the big fishing vessels popularly known as “lansa” or “sensoro.”
“The ordinary fishers will suffer the most by the over-fishing of the big players such as the sensoro operators and it is a serious problem,” Ellorin said.
On Thursday morning, personnel from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ma. Arlene Caminero and Arc Medrozo were flabbergasted upon learning that Barangay Bonbon, which is famous for its rich tamban catch, could only produce two kilos of this pangmasa tamban fish for the day.
The two BFAR fish enumerators noted that scarcity of tamban along Macajalar Bay started in January this year, though there were even days of “zero catch” in the area.
Their faces only brightened after seeing a handful of hipon display in one stall from Bonbon fish vendors which they call a blessing.
In 2020, Barangay Bonbon used to enjoy 60 to 100 boxes catch of tamban at 40 kilos each which greatly helped its people to survive the ill-effect of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Today, we could no longer depend on our fishermen here for tamban display. We are forced to buy from the fishing landing station in barangay Bulua to have a supply here for our regular customers,” said Bonbon fish vendor Gina Oguimas.
“If not for the abundant hipon catch that we feared to last for only this month, the fishing families in Bonbon will go hungry,” she added.
The now 64-year-old Ernan Baal, who started fishing at the age of seven, said the influx of hipon would greet them once, twice, and sometimes thrice a year. And it was not forbidden then until the time of the late Mayor Vicente ‘Dongkoy’ Emano, whom Baal said had momentarily prohibited them from catching tiny fishes of all kinds.
“But it was only temporary. The fishing group was able to convince them that the hipons' origin is from the upland rivers' freshwater. Such kind of species will not grow much to tamban size,” Baal said.
And the BFAR personnel could only agree.
Caminero said that only “maranai” that will grow into bolinao (anchovies) and “malangsi” that will develop into sardine fish are prohibited for commercial fishing.
“Maranai and malangsi are classified under strict protection. The Bureau of Fisheries has no problems with the hipons,” Caminero said.
Medrozo, meanwhile, believed that climate change has something to do with tamban now being replaced by hipon as the Macajalar’s latest toast since the month of May.
“Heavy rains during summer brings abnormality the seawaters are no longer clear it might not be favorable for tamban but suitable for the hipons’ reproduction, particularly at the (estuary) between Bonbon and Macabalan where there’s a union of fresh and salty waters.”
Both Caminero and Medrozo, however, prayed for one thing if only to sustain the seaside barangay’s livelihood.
That tamban and hipon will not disappear altogether off the Macajalar Bay in this most trying time of the pandemic.
