MANILA, Philippines — The suspension of a system that monitors the movements of commercial fishing vessels endangers the lives of small-scale fisherfolk, a group of fishers has said.
PANGISDA Pilipinas—an alliance of municipal and subsistence fishers—expressed concern over the move of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to suspend the implementation of Fisheries Administrative Order 266, which requires vessel monitoring mechanisms for commercial fishing vessels.
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Such measures monitor the activities of fishing vessels, detect illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities, and manage fisheries resources sustainably.
“The suspension of FAO 266 puts our lives and livelihoods at risk. It also endangers our families amid the worsening tension in the West Philippine Sea caused by the interference of China and the United States,” PANGISDA Pilipinas said in a statement on National Fisherfolk Day.
“This clearly shows that the government is protecting the interests of commercial fishers, instead of the rights of small-scale fisherfolk,” it added.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said the order was suspended pending a Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of FAO 266.
The organization stressed the current programs of the government are not enough to develop fisheries production and promote their livelihood.
More than 80% of the Philippines’ two million fisherfolk are artisanal or those that use relatively small amounts of capital and energy and small fishing vessels. Small-scale fishers and fish workers are among the country’s poorest and most socially vulnerable sectors.
The contributions of small-scale fishers to the food security and nutrition of Filipinos, and the efforts to protect the country’s natural resources are massive, but often go underappreciated.
PANGISDA Pilipinas also called on the government to stop illegal fishing, reclamation, seabed quarrying and offshore mining, which force municipal fishers to venture farther from the shore and force them to look for other sources of livelihood. Scientists and environmentalists also said that these destructive activities may threaten the country’s fisheries production.