Seaweed processors seek review on ban

THE Seaweed Industry of the Philippines (SIAP) has appealed to the Department of Agriculture (DA) to review or revise the ban on collecting and exporting brown algae and seagrass.

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, SIAP called for the government’s immediate intervention to study again Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. 250, issued in 2104, which prohibits the collection, harvesting, gathering, selling and exporting of brown algae ( sargassum spp.) and seagrass.

It said this regulation is already hurting the livelihood of fishers. According to SIAP, estimates indicate about 30,000 metric tons are available for harvest, valued at P450 million annually. About 70 percent of the sargassum harvest is exported.

“Unfortunately, this income source was curtailed by FAO No. 25. Regrettably, the FAO was released without consultations. We believe that sargassum could have continued to benefit the fisherfolk and the country had the ban been made for a certain season only, just like that of herring or tuna,” the SIAP letter reads.

According to FAO No. 25, the director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) may grant research institutions the limited collection, harvesting, or gathering of sagassum spp. and seagrass. This will help them determine the ecological and socio-economic impact of the activity on Philippine fisheries.

Waiting

But “BFAR still hasn’t come up with a decision. There’s quite a number of fisherfolk who appealed but so far no definite answer. We continually follow up and hope that a decision would come out soon,” said SIAP Chair Max Ricohermoso in a text.

Sargassum’s domestic applications are mostly for animal feeds, organic fertilizers, and pest control.

DA’s order signed by then Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala pointed out that seagrasses like sargassum are highly productive ecosystems that provide shelter and serve as a food base to diverse species of juvenile and adult fish, marine invertebrates and mammals.

Violators face two years to 10 years in prison or a fine of not less than P100,000 to P500,000. Both penalties, however, may be applied.