DONSOL, Sorsogon , Philippines – The country’s position as a leader in global marine diversity is now threatened by overfishing.
“We are an archipelagic nation. Soon, we will become the epicenter of global marine adversity if our government agencies refuse to acknowledge the crisis at sea,” said Vice Cinches, oceans’ campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
Cinches expressed alarm over the unprecedented destruction of the country’s marine ecosystem which he said foreshadows serious health, social and economic impacts aggravated by pollution and global warming.
Earlier this year, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said 10 of the country’s 13 fishing grounds are heavily exploited due to illegal and unregulated fishing activities.
As a result, the country’s fish production of six million metric tons a year has steadily declined.
During a recent public hearing in this town, dubbed as the whale shark capital of the world, fishermen complained that they could barely catch six kilos of fish a day, the average haul that could provide their families a good day’s income.