Stronger law enforcement a boost to fish production

The successful management and protection of Tañon Strait, the Philippines’ largest marine protected area, should be replicated in other fishing grounds nationwide, marine conservation group Oceana Philippines said.

Oceania Philippines lauded the government’s steadfast enforcement of environmental laws in protecting Tañon Strait against illegal, destructive and commercial fishing operations. In an interview with The

STAR, Oceana Philippines VP Gloria Ramos said they are closely coordinating with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the local government units (LGUs) for the implementation of the Tañon Strait model in other seascapes, particularly in the Visayas.

The Tañon Strait model has resulted in improved fisheries production and lesser cases of illegal fishing.

“There are a lot of invitations already [ to show the model]. We are targeting the rich fishing grounds that are overfished and we’re looking at Visayan Sea after Tañon Strait. We want to demonstrate that enforcement plus sustainable management can bring back the abundance of fisheries,” Ramos said.

“We are doing initial studies. Once the rules are in, we are sure that we will be in Visayan Sea this year,” she added.

The Visayan Sea covers Masbate, Cebu, Negros Occidental and Iloilo.

Under the amended Fisheries Code of the Philippines, the vessel monitoring system (VMS) should be installed by commercial fishing vessels weighing over 30 gross tons (GT) in the next four years, while vessels weighing three GT to 29 GT will be determined by the BFAR.

Municipal fishing vessels or those that weigh less than three GT are not required to install the VMS as stated in the law.

The system is not only for tracking commercial vessels that encroach into municipal waters or within 15 kilometers from the coastline, but also for disaster-related instances such as typhoons.

Ramos is confident the implementation will be smoothsailing following the agreement forged between LGUs and BFAR.

“Under the Fisheries Code, there is a need for fisheries management areas that are based on science and policies. And even before the code was amended, governors already signed an agreement to protect and defend the Visayan Sea,” she said.

“I’m a firm believer of the rule of law. If you’re doing things in accordance with the law, things will not go wrong,” Ramos added.

Other possible areas that may be covered include Siargao and Bicol.

“Tañon is a model to be replicated nationwide. When we came, there is really a distrust among agencies, they didn’t work together but now there’s collaboration. We are now seeing the results and we’re confident that we can replicate it nationwide,” Ramos said.

Since Oceana came in to Tañon Strait in 2015, Ramos said municipal fisherfolks saw a significant improvement in their fish catch.

“But one of the most significant achievements is the empowerment of our enforcers. They used to be scared of political authorities, they wouldn’t move and enforce. But now they can already say no,” she added.

A rich traditional fishing ground, Tañon Strait covers 42 towns and cities in the provinces of Cebu, Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental. It is a critical marine habitat for 14 species of dolphins and whales, and harbors extensive mangroves and coral reefs.

The government contin- ues to take a tougher stance against illegal fishing through the implementation of the improved enforcement plan in Tañon Strait.

The enforcement plan is one of the components of Tañon Strait’s General Management Plan which provides mechanisms for protecting marine habitats, ensuring sustainable fisheries, and reducing illegal fishing through increased patrolling and apprehension, prosecution of violators, and training of law enforcers.

It also includes regular inspection of fishing vessels along Tañon Strait, a step-bystep strategy for operations and surveillance, and filling of cases against violators.

Ramos, however, noted that the improved fisheries production in Tañon Strait is just a small percentage and should be replicated in other fishing grounds.

The country’s fisheries production saw a six percent drop in 2016 due to lower output across all sub-sectors and species.

Data showed that production reached 4.35 million metric tons (MT), down 6.34 percent.

Aquaculture, which comprised half of total production, reached 2.2 million MT, or a decline of 6.27 percent due to slow growth of species amid dry spell and scarcity of planting materials.

Municipal fisheries saw a 6.47 percent decline to 1.13 million MT as less fishing activities were observed amid prolonged hot weather conditions.

Commercial fisheries recorded a 6.35 percent drop to 1.01 million MT as less species were caught because of hot sea water temperature brought about by El Niño phenomenon that prevailed during the first semester of last year.

“We will see further decline if there will be no interventions. We are good at creating laws, we should also be good at implementing them,” Ramos said.