Tuna fishers want vessel monitoring system enforced

MANILA, Philippines — Tuna stakeholders and environmentalists are calling for the implementation of Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 266 amid the looming threat of a so-called yellow card or red card from the European Union.

But commercial fishing operators are opposing the idea, warning that the order might lead to higher fish prices in the country.

Issued by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in 2020, the FAO 266 requires all commercial fishing operators to install a vessel monitoring system so they can be tracked and to allow them to report their catch.

However, a recent memorandum issued by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin ceased the implementation of vessel monitoring measures (VMM) under FAO 266.

In a statement yesterday, the Philippines Tuna Handline Partnership (PTHP) raised their concern about the memorandum, saying this may jeopardize recent inroads that have been made to comply with international best practices on transparency and the sustainability of seafood exports to the European Union.

The group – composed of the Gulf of Lagonoy Tuna Fishers Federation Inc., Occidental Mindoro Federation of Tuna Fishers Association, and Philippine Association of Tuna Processors Inc. (PATPI) – is working to maintain its Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, which was recently awarded after a decade of initiatives to ensure that its operations adhere to international best practices.

“Ours are the first ever fisheries in the Philippines to be certified under the MSC standard, an achievement that is in line with President Marcos’ goal of bringing prosperity and self-sufficiency to our nation,” said Atenogenes Reaso of the Federation of Tuna Fishers.

“We are worried that the suspension of vessel monitoring measures to ensure transparency in fisheries will put our tuna exports at risk. We are continuously trying our best to comply with international standards of transparency and sustainable fishing practices to ensure that small-scale tuna fisherfolk can sustain the breakthrough we have achieved in reaching international export markets,” he said.

First granted to the PTHP in October 2021, the MSC ecolabel signals to consumers that the fish they are purchasing has been sourced sustainably.

PATPI’s Jinky Rabano hopes BFAR will urge Bersamin and Marcos to lift the suspension of FAO 266, or that the government agency will intervene in the matter to keep the country from being red flagged by the European Union.

In 2014, the European Union issued a yellow card on Philippine fishery exports, which threatened to bar the country from exporting to markets in Europe.

Amendments to the Fisheries Code of the Philippines were made to address this, which led to the implementation of mandatory VMM.

But Roderic Santos, Inter-Island and Deep Sea Fishing Association director, said their group is opposing the implementation of FAO 266, warning in a statement that the cost of fish could soar to “astronomical” levels should the order be implemented.