Ni NOEL ABUEL
Nanawagan si Senador Cynthia Villar na tulungan ang Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ng mga local communities, government agencies, regional organizations at non-governmental organization (NGOs).
Sinabi ni Villar, chairperson ng Senate Agriculture and Food Committee sa fishery industry na kailangang matiyak ang pagkain mula sa pangingisda, kita sa mangingisda at trabaho sa processors at allied workers.
“Fisheries management is crucial to ensure that fishing activities are conducted in a way that minimizes detrimental impact on fish stocks and ecosystems” ani Villar sa kanyang speech sa Department of Agriculture- BFAR 3rd Fisheries Management Area Summit na idinaos sa Cebu City, noong Huwebes, Marso 14.
Nagbabala ang senador sa posibleng banta ng overfishing sa lahat ng bansa.
Aniya, kung hindi ito mahihinto ay magkakaroon ng disyerto sa karagatan sa 2050.
“It will mean a collapse of the fishing sector as a source of livelihood,” giit ni Villar.
Bilang suporta sa fishery secto, itinaguyod ni Villar ang pagsasabatas ng Republic Act 10654 na nag-amiyenda sa RA 8550 o ang Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 noong February 27, 2015.
Sa inamiyendahang batas, pinarurusahan din ang illegal, unreported at unregulated fishing (IUUF) na may katapat na mataas na parusa.
“The amended law also states that it is now unlawful to fish or take, catch, gather, sell, purchase, possess, transport, export, forward or ship out aquatic species listed by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna,” pahayag ni Villar.
“The law also puts the Philippine fishing legislation at par with other countries, especially the conservation of threatened aquatic species, straddling and highly migratory species, and other marine resources,” dagdag pa nito.
Sinisiguro rin ng batas na ang management ng fishery at aquatic resources ay ayon sa ecosystem-based-approach sa pangingisda.
Kabilang ang Pilipinas sa top 10 fish and seafood producers sa buong mundo na may 4.42 million tons ng fish production noong 2019 (BFAR, 2020).
Mula sa produksyong ito, 10.5% ang pang-export samantalang 89.5 percent ang sa local consumption at iba pang gamit.
“Local fisheries production in 2023 slipped by 1.8 percent to 4.26 million metric tons from 4.34 million MT in 2022 as catch by both commercial and municipal fishers decreased, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA),” ayon kay Villar.
Ang domestic aquaculture ang nag-iisang subsector na lumago sa naturang panahon at lumawak ang output nito ng 1.5 percent sa annual basis na 2.38 MMT. Ito ang may pinakamalaking kontribusyon na 56 percent sa total fisheries production noong 2023.
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