Senator Cynthia A. Villar, chairperson of the Senate Agriculture and Food, continuously protects the fishery industry to ensure there is food from fishing, income for our fishermen and jobs for our processors and allied workers.
“Fisheries management is crucial to ensure that fishing activities are conducted in a way that minimizes detrimental impact on fish stocks and ecosystems” said Villar during the Department of Agriculture-BFAR 3rd Fisheries Management Area Summit held in Cebu City, this Thursday, March 14.
The senator emphasized that BFAR needs the support of local communities and the expertise of people in other government agencies, regional organizations and NGOs to manage the complex marine ecosystems that support fisheries.
She recognized the threat of over fishing to all nations. If left unabated, it will make deserts out of our oceans in 2050.
“It will mean a collapse of the fishing sector as a source of livelihood,” she emphasized.
Supportive of the fishery sector, Villar worked for the passage of Republic Act 10654 which amended RA 8550 (Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998) on February 27,2015.
The amended law also sanctions illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF) but imposed higher penalties.
“The amended law states that it is now unlawful to fish or take, catch, gather, sell, purchase, possess, transport, export, forward or ship out aquatic species listed by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna,” said Villar
“The law also puts the Philippine fishing legislation at par with other countries, especially the conservation of threatened aquatic species, straddling and highly migratory species, and other marine resources.” added Villar.
The law also ensures that management of fishery and aquatic resources is anchored on eco-system based approach in fishing.
The Philippines is among the top 10 fish and seafood producers in the world for several years, accounting for 4.42 million tons of fish production in 2019 (BFAR, 2020).
Out of the 4.42 million tons fish production, around 10.5% goes to export while the 89.5 percent goes to local consumption and other usage.
Local fisheries production in 2023 slipped by 1.8 percent to 4.26 million metric tons from 4.34 million MT in 2022 as catch by both commercial and municipal fishers decreased, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The domestic aquaculture, which was the lone subsector that grew during the period, expanded its output by 1.5 percent on an annual basis to 2.38 MMT. It contributed the biggest share of 56 percent to the total fisheries production in 2023.
