BFAR: Foreign vessels curtailed Philippine fish catch in 2022

PAG-ASA ISLAND Philippines — The almost unfettered operation of foreign fishing vessels in Philippine waters contributed to the decline in the country’s fisheries production in 2022, according to Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) national director Demosthenes Escoto.

Speaking to reporters here on Thursday during the turnover of P4.95 million worth of livelihood implements to two fisheries organizations, Escoto said Filipino fishermen had to deal with foreign competitors who were usually on bigger and better equipped vessels.

While he did not specify the nationalities of the foreign fishermen, it is widely known that the Chinese were the biggest trespassers in Philippine waters.

“We cannot deny the fact that it has an impact but the government is finding a solution,” he said, referring to the activities of foreign fishers.

“In fact, we have the National Task Force on West Philippine Sea. On the part of BFAR, our main objective is to immediately address their concerns through interventions so that we can alleviate them from poverty,” Escoto said.

Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), fisheries output in the West Philippine Sea dropped by seven percent in 2022 to 275,872 metric tons of fish from 295,332 MT in 2021.

The total fisheries output in the West Philippine Sea represented 6.36 percent of the country’s total production in 2022.

While he could not tell exactly the extent of the impact of the activities of foreign fishermen on local fisheries production, their activities definitely have adverse effect on Filipino livelihood.

“It has an impact but what we are saying is that we need to address the needs of our fisherfolk to strengthen their capacity so that they can support their daily needs and they can help as part of the whole-society approach on food supply and food security,” Escoto explained.

“We will launch a bigger project that will cover communities in the West Philippine Sea within this year,” he added.

He said the administration is doing its best to elevate the status of the fisheries sector from being the “poorest sector” as per PSA classification.

“The President emphasized that the government needs to reach out to our people, not only fishermen but also other far-flung areas,” Escoto pointed out.

“This is our focus right now – to remove them from poverty through our interventions,” he said.

BFAR spokesman Nazario Briguera earlier attributed the decrease in fisheries production to typhoons and not to incursions by foreign fishing vessels.

“When we say total production in the West Philippine Sea, we are not just talking about Pag-asa island, we are referring to the total production of provinces fronting the West Philippine Sea,” Briguera said.

Fisheries data for the West Philippine Sea cover output in Regions 1 (Ilocos region) and 3 (Central Luzon), National Capital Region, Calabarzon and Mimaropa.

As of Jan. 23, there were at least 373,733 fisherfolk operating in the West Philippine Sea.

‘Shadowed’

Lt. Cmdr. Mark Adrias, commanding officer of BRP Francisco Dagohoy, claimed there were no incidents of harassment of Pag-asa fisherfolk by Chinese vessels. The Dagohoy serves as BFAR patrol vessel.

Pag-asa residents, however, maintained that Chinese coast guards continue to intimidate them.

They told The STAR that Pag-asa fisherfolk have no choice but to stay out of areas where Chinese militias or coast guards operate so they won’t get harassed or worse.

Shortly after the Dagohoy left Pag-asa at past noon on Thursday, a Chinese naval vessel with body number 503 appeared and shadowed the Filipino ship. The Chinese ship left after 10 minutes.

Adrias declined to share more information regarding the incident, saying he needed to report the incident first to the PCG headquarters in Manila.

“Based on what we saw, it was a Chinese Navy. Based on the action of the Chinese Navy, we did not see any maneuvering,” Adrias said.

He said the incident occurred six nautical miles from Pag-asa Island. The Chinese ship positioned at less than one nautical mile from the BFAR ship. — Sheila Crisostomo