This survey was carried out in connection with the controversy on the banning of trawl fishing in Sorsogon Bay.
On January 14, 1972, Resolution No. 24 was unanimously ap. proved by the provincial board entreating the President of the Philip, pines to declare Sorsogon Bay, including the municipal waters of Magallanes, as a conservation area, banning trawls and other apparently destructive fishing methods. The Governor of die province ordered the apprehension of fishermen engaged in such fishing activities. The Governor believed that trawl fishing operation destroys the bottom marine life of the bay causing the fishery resources to be depleted to the detriment of the small fishermen.
A team of biologists from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was sent to Sorsogon to conduct a survey and study the relevance of the proposed conservation measure as embodied in the above-cited Resolution. The survey was conducted from April IS to 28, 1972.