2 MIN READ
By SHERWIN DE VERA
www.nordis.net
VIGAN CITY—International marine conservation group Oceana questioned claims by Philippine fisheries officials that permitting commercial fishing in municipal waters is “science-based” and would not necessarily result in overfishing.
The nonprofit group said the proposal contradicts government science and risks further depleting the country’s already scarce fish stocks. It also voiced concerns that the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) leadership is providing false information.
“The government is contradicting its own study in saying our municipal waters should be open to commercial fishing operations,” Oceana stated. “We are alarmed that current leaders of (DA-BFAR) are purveying false information to our legislators and the public about the necessary measures to restore our rapidly depleting fisheries resources.”
In a position paper presented at the recent House of Representatives Committee on Aquaculture and Fisheries hearing, the group opposed BFAR Director Elizar Salilig’s statement. The bureau chief said that permitting commercial vessels to fish within municipal water is “science-based and aligned with the Fisheries Management Areas.”
During the hearing, Oceana’s Senior Director for Campaigns, Legal, and Policy, Rose-Liza Eisma-Osorio, dismissed this claim, stating that official studies show widespread overfishing in Philippine waters.
Citing the latest publicly available data from the 2017 National Stock Assessment Program, published by the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, Osorio said the findings show that many commercially important species remain beyond safe biological limits.
The assessment found that approximately 90 percent of 190 fish stocks, including key species such as sardines and galunggong, are already overfished. Additionally, the data indicated that most fishing areas nationwide have exceeded sustainable levels.
These findings underscore the importance of safeguarding municipal waters to ensure a stable food supply and support local fisher livelihoods, while maintaining the ban on commercial fishing in nearshore zones.
Osorio told lawmakers that protecting municipal waters could help reverse the decline in fisheries nationwide, benefiting both small-scale fishers and commercial operators by rebuilding fish populations.
The 1987 Constitution requires the State to protect the rights of subsistence fishers, especially local communities, to have priority use of communal fishing resources. Congress reaffirmed this principle in the Philippine Fisheries Code, which prioritizes municipal fisherfolk in the use of municipal waters.
Several lawmakers have introduced measures to strengthen these protections. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez sponsored House Bill 2152, which grants exclusive rights to properly registered fisherfolk organizations and cooperatives within the 15-kilometer municipal waters. He also filed House Bill 2160, aiming to establish a 10-kilometer buffer zone to prevent illegal entry by commercial fishing vessels.
Makabayan Bloc legislators Renee Co of Kabataan, Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers, and Sarah Elago of Gabriela filed House Bills 5606 and 5806, granting municipal fisherfolk exclusive access to the 15-kilometer zone. Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima filed House Bill 5856, which also aims to prohibit commercial fishing within the same area.
Oceana said it supports these proposals because they follow a precautionary approach to fisheries management and help ease fishing pressure in coastal waters. The group warned that opening municipal waters to commercial fleets would deepen inequities and accelerate damage to breeding and nursery grounds critical to fish reproduction.#nordis.net
