Local officials agree Region 7 seas overfished
By Liberty Pinili, CRMP - Philippines
In a series of workshops in Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor provinces on fisheries management, local government officials revealed that fisheries in their towns and cities have become degraded.
In Cebu, though, some fisherfolk expressed doubts about the proposal of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to draft a Regional Fisheries Management Plan to address the problem.
In the fisheries management workshops, local government officials - mostly municipal agriculturists - and leaders of fisherfolk groups attested that fish catch of fishermen are diminishing while the variety of fish caught is less and the size smaller. They also revealed that fishermen now have to go farther and stay longer at sea.
According to the Central Visayas fisheries profile prepared by BFAR, the University of the Philippines Visayas and the Coastal Resource Management Project (CRMP), there is a declining trend in production of both commercial and municipal fisheries in Central Visayas.
Rafael Nuñal of BFAR said the maximum sustainable yield in the Visayan Sea, 1,726.9 tons, was reached in as early as 1999 and even earlier in Camotes Sea (1998, around 1,711 tons).
This means fish being caught in the two areas are beyond what is sustainable, aggravating the decline in fishery production.
Nuñal said that Camotes Sea and Visayan Sea have not only reached their limits but are, in fact, already overfished. The fishery profile in Central Visayas also shows that commercial fishing—using ring nets and purse seine—gets the major share in fisheries in the region.
Prof. Nygiel Armada of the University of the Philippines Visayas said overfishing occurs when even immature or juvenile fish are caught because of inappropriate (fine mesh) nets. Fish caught before they mature and spawn also aggravates the problem. This reduces the production of eggs and larvae that are supposed to replenish fish stocks.
Armada called for regulations on the number of fishing boats, tonnage of these fishing vessels and stricter implementation on minimum mesh size of nets.
The CRMP and BFAR also proposed regulations on fishing in Central Visayas to allow fishery resources to rehabilitate. The CRMP stressed the importance of merging marine habitat management with fisheries management.
Strategies to manage marine habitats and fisheries will be included in a Regional Fisheries Management Plan, according to BFAR and the CRMP. Some fisherfolk in Cebu, however, pointed out that local government units already have difficulties implementing their respective municipal coastal resource management plans. A regional fisheries management plan would be more difficult to implement, they said during a workshop on July 1.
Some workshop participants also wondered how the regional fisheries management plan would affect the coastal resource management plans of their respective municipalities and cities. The BFAR 7 explained that the respective coastal resource management programs of local government units will be considered in the Regional Fisheries Management Plan. Joezen Corrales of BFAR 7 said local government units will be invited to participate in the drafting of the plan. Once completed, the draft plan will be presented to local government units.
By Liberty Pinili, CRMP - Philippines
In a series of workshops in Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor provinces on fisheries management, local government officials revealed that fisheries in their towns and cities have become degraded.
In Cebu, though, some fisherfolk expressed doubts about the proposal of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to draft a Regional Fisheries Management Plan to address the problem.
In the fisheries management workshops, local government officials - mostly municipal agriculturists - and leaders of fisherfolk groups attested that fish catch of fishermen are diminishing while the variety of fish caught is less and the size smaller. They also revealed that fishermen now have to go farther and stay longer at sea.
According to the Central Visayas fisheries profile prepared by BFAR, the University of the Philippines Visayas and the Coastal Resource Management Project (CRMP), there is a declining trend in production of both commercial and municipal fisheries in Central Visayas.
Rafael Nuñal of BFAR said the maximum sustainable yield in the Visayan Sea, 1,726.9 tons, was reached in as early as 1999 and even earlier in Camotes Sea (1998, around 1,711 tons).
This means fish being caught in the two areas are beyond what is sustainable, aggravating the decline in fishery production.
Nuñal said that Camotes Sea and Visayan Sea have not only reached their limits but are, in fact, already overfished. The fishery profile in Central Visayas also shows that commercial fishing—using ring nets and purse seine—gets the major share in fisheries in the region.
Prof. Nygiel Armada of the University of the Philippines Visayas said overfishing occurs when even immature or juvenile fish are caught because of inappropriate (fine mesh) nets. Fish caught before they mature and spawn also aggravates the problem. This reduces the production of eggs and larvae that are supposed to replenish fish stocks.
Armada called for regulations on the number of fishing boats, tonnage of these fishing vessels and stricter implementation on minimum mesh size of nets.
The CRMP and BFAR also proposed regulations on fishing in Central Visayas to allow fishery resources to rehabilitate. The CRMP stressed the importance of merging marine habitat management with fisheries management.
Strategies to manage marine habitats and fisheries will be included in a Regional Fisheries Management Plan, according to BFAR and the CRMP. Some fisherfolk in Cebu, however, pointed out that local government units already have difficulties implementing their respective municipal coastal resource management plans. A regional fisheries management plan would be more difficult to implement, they said during a workshop on July 1.
Some workshop participants also wondered how the regional fisheries management plan would affect the coastal resource management plans of their respective municipalities and cities. The BFAR 7 explained that the respective coastal resource management programs of local government units will be considered in the Regional Fisheries Management Plan. Joezen Corrales of BFAR 7 said local government units will be invited to participate in the drafting of the plan. Once completed, the draft plan will be presented to local government units.
