The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Friday announced that it will stop the ban on selling pompano and pink salmon fish in wet markets.
In a press conference, BFAR officer-in-charge Demosthenes Escoto said the lifting of the ban was in consideration of the calls of fishery stakeholders and lawmakers to review the regulation.&nbsp;
&ldquo;BFAR is declaring a moratorium on its operation in wet markets with regard to the presence of diverted imported pink salmon, pompano, and other imported frozen fish products,&rdquo; Escoto said.&nbsp;
The order shall be effective immediately, he added.&nbsp;
Earlier, BFAR released Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 195 which stated that importation of frozen fish like pompano and pink salmon would be delivered to institutional buyers like restaurants and hotels only.&nbsp;
On Thursday, Nov. 29, Senator Raffy Tulfo called the banning of selling salmon and pampano &ldquo;anti-poor&rdquo; and &ldquo;discrimination&rdquo; against small vendors.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Ang mayayaman na restaurant at hotel, nakalusot sa pag-import ng isda pero ang mga maliliit na tindera sa palengke, hindi pwede. Bakit? This is a clear violation of equal protection. Malinaw na malinaw na discrimination ito laban sa maliliit na tindera sa merkado,&rdquo; Tulfo earlier stressed.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe urged BFAR officials to review, amend, or repeal the FAO 195.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Pwede naman &lsquo;yan &lsquo;diba? Hindi naman &lsquo;yan batas na kailangan dumaan samin &lsquo;diba?&rdquo; she added.

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BFAR stops ban vs. pompano, pink salmon fish in wet markets