THE Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is considering allowing commercial fishing vessels to operate in municipal waters to help increase the Philippines’ fish output.

According to Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol, the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 10654—which amended the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 and imposed a 15-kilometer fishing limit on such vessels—did not increase yields.