PH’s existing policies not enough to stop overfishing

The Philippine government is being urged to craft a national management framework to address overfishing as the country's existing policy measures are apparently not enough to deal with this issue.

This, as studies show that sardines are getting smaller and now spawn earlier to adapt to heavy fishing pressure and environmental changes.

Dr. Wilfredo Campos, a scientist from the University of the Philippines in the Visayas, said that existing data shows a decline in fish stocks due to heavy fishing pressure and environmental changes.

“Sardines are being overfished and existing policy measures are not enough to protect them, especially spawning fish," Campos said.

“To keep up with being caught too quickly, they biologically adapt by maturing early to compensate for their population loss. They remain small, and spawn less compared to ideal, mature sardines,” he added.

Ideally, sardines should be allowed to mature for at least two years so they can reproduce more.

Sardine fisheries are a main economic driver in the Philippines, netting 344,730,201 kilograms worth R7.43 billion in 2015, which provides food and livelihood for millions of Filipinos. They are also crucial in the food chain, eaten by high-value fishes such as tuna, mackerel and scad, plus larger predators like sharks and dolphins.

A recent study made by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) also showed that 71 percent of typical Filipino families eat seafood, especially sardines, at least five times per month.

In 2012, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ordered a closed season for sardines in major fishing grounds including the Visayan Sea and the Zamboanga Peninsula, to ensure that they will be protected during spawning months from November to March.

However, it’s also important to protect sardines after the spawning season.

Dr. Jose Ingles, an advisor to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in the Philippines, said that after the closed season, there’s often a “race to fish” for sardines, where commercial fishers may end up catching the juveniles which are expected to spawn the next season.

“There should be other additional measures to protect the little fish that were produced during the spawning season. These include setting catch limits and reducing fishing efforts which will help protect the juvenile sardines, especially during the race to fish season,” Ingles said.

He also emphasized that that these measures must be urgently implemented in fishing grounds that are already overfished.

Additional measures such as setting catch limits and reducing fishing effort can protect juvenile sardines, especially during the “race to fish” season.

Ingles said these measures must be urgently implemented in fishing grounds that are already overfished.

“We need a participatory and science-based management framework for sardines. This will serve as a holistic guide in implementing the policies that will focus on the biological and socioeconomic aspects of sardine management,” Ingles added.