Illegal fishing,听lack of training听are听major concerns of听fisherfolk, says policy paper听
Fisherfolk need to be trained and guided more closely by local and national government agencies to properly enforce sea patrols, manage protected areas, and implement harvest control, according to a policy paper. Findings showed that lack of training and coordination made it hard to address issues like听illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.听
鈥淚f they鈥檙e not given proper training and understanding of coastal resource management, they won鈥檛 be able to participate and recommend policies,鈥 said Dr. Noemi S.B.听Lanzuela, national stock assessment听program coordinator of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Region V, in a virtual congress for Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Councils听(FARMCs).听
Another issue was a lack of representation from small-scale fisherfolk. Martha E.听Cadano, a national FARMC member from Region VIII in the Visayas, said there were gaps from unrepresented municipalities, since there were only a few members from every region.听She added that there听is a need for better integration and organization on municipal, city, and national levels.听
This is especially relevant in light of Supreme Court鈥檚 (SC)听Mandanas-Garcia听ruling, which听allocates听about听P234.6 billion听of additional funds听to听local government units (LGUs).听
鈥淲e can study how to utilize these funds for FARMCs, like enforcing fishery laws and training FARMC members,鈥 said听Ernesto G. Lim, Jr., policy and communications officer of NGOs for Fisheries Reform, who also suggested听amending sections of the Fisheries Code, to听allow each municipal coastal area to coordinate better with agencies.听
The consensus听among attendees听was to focus on empowering small-scale fisherfolk. Rollan C. Geronimo, an IUU fishing specialist for the United States Agency for International Development鈥檚 (USAID) Fish Right, suggested clearer measures for reporting cases of IUU fishing, like a simple monthly tracking in each barangay.听听
It would be easier to have frequent reporting of observations, he said,听since the area being patrolled is small. The practice could also be normalized by encouraging fisherfolk to discuss these observations during monthly barangay meetings.听
Meanwhile, on a policy level, Senator Risa N.听Hontiveros-Baraquel, a guest speaker听at听the event, pledged to push bills that听address听the issues听that were听raised. One of these is Senate Bill No. 168,听which seeks to create and implement a comprehensive fisheries management and protection plan for the country鈥檚 fisheries and aquatic resources.听
鈥淲hile the bills are not yet implemented, FARMCs remain important in their influence,鈥 she said, doubling down on the need to continue conversations.听听
Of the 945 municipal and city FARMCs, 890 are active while 55 are inactive. The national advisory body for these councils recommended 51 Fisheries Administrative Orders (FAOs) over the past 10 years.听听
The most recent of these FAOS is 266, which BFAR issued in 2020 to enable Philippine catcher vessels weighing 3.1 to under 30 gross tons to install vessel monitoring measures and an electronic reporting system. This was an effort to intensify surveillance of Philippine waters against IUU fishing.听听
The virtual congress was organized by the听World Wide听Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines in time for National Fisherfolk Day on May 31.听鈥斕Bront毛 H. Lacsamana听
