THE Philippines’ 12 Fisheries Management Areas were urged to abide by the National Sardines Management Plan signed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) to address the alarming decline of the sardine stocks in the country.
This call was made by the marine conservation organization Oceana as local sardine fisherfolk are still struggling with their dwindling catch, two years after signing of the National Sardines Management Plan (Plan).
“Sardines are one of the most affordable sources of protein for Filipino families. They are nutrients-packed which can address malnutrition among our children and women, yet so much must be done to protect them from collapse. Data show that the sardines in our country have already reached its Limit Reference Point,” Atty. Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Oceana Vice President said in a statement.
She stressed that the National Sardines Management Plan envisions a sustainable and equitably shared sardine fishery that contributes to food security and increased income through responsible management from 2020 until 2025.
“It can provide the major sardine fishing grounds with the badly needed attention and solutions but sadly, only a few are working on the implementation of this Plan. The implementation is mandatory and not discretionary on the part of the management authorities,” she added.
The Plan was signed on May 15, 2020 by Agriculture Secretary William Dar. He ordered the Plan to be rolled out nationwide in his speech during the second Fisheries Management Areas Summit.
“We can no longer ignore the critical need to manage our sardine fisheries. This means that all 12 Fisheries Management Areas must abide by the National Sardines Management Plan I signed in May last year,” Dar said.
Currently, out of the 12 FMAs only the Fisheries Management Area 7 and Fisheries Management Area 12 have adopted the Plan through a resolution approved by their respective Management Body.
Fisheries Management Area 7 is comprised of Sorsogon Bay, Ragay Gulf, Ticao Burias Pass, Cariaga Bay, Magueda Bay, San Bernardino Strait, Irong-Irong Bay, and Samar Sea while Fisheries Management Area 12 covers Balayan Bay, Calatagan Bay, Batangas Bay, Tayabas Bay, Tablas Strait, Mogpog Pass, and Sibuyan Sea.
While a policy exists for a yearly fishing ban for sardines in major fishing grounds like the Visayan Sea, Northern Palawan, and the Zamboanga Peninsula, this is simply not enough to protect sardines from overexploitation, according to Oceana. A study on seasonal fishery closure in the Visayan Sea revealed that the annual fishing ban has not been able to make a dent in the goal to conserve its sardine stock.
“Due to overexploitation, sardines caught by our fisherfolk are smaller than the ideal size of mature sardines,” said Dr. Wilfredo Campos of the University of the Philippines Visayas who led the team who worked on sardine studies with Oceana. MThose studies disclosed that sardines in the Visayan Sea and FMA 7 which cover the waters off Ticao Burias Pass in Bicol Region and Samar Sea were already overfished.
The worsening state is also evident in the data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) which show a 26.4 percent drop from the catch of bali (tamban) and fimbriata (lawlaw/tuloy) sardine species from 442,045.74 metric tons in 2010 to 325,226.20 metric tons in 2019.
The Plan aims to achieve sustainability of the sardine fishing industry by 2025 by addressing the need for harvest control rules, reference points, catch documentation, post-harvest facilities, and measures against illegal fishing.
“We urge the FMA management bodies to have the much-needed sense of urgency and heed the call of the Department of Agriculture and artisanal fisherfolk, seriously look at the alarming data, adopt the necessary measures to implement the Plan,” Ramos urged.
“We may only have this time to restore the country’s sardine industry. We must implement concrete measures such as lessening fishing pressures and work together to sustain this valuable resource for every Filipino,” she added.
Oceana is an international advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans. Since 2014, Oceana has been working closely with national and local government agencies, civil society, fisherfolk and other stakeholders to restore the abundance of Philippine fisheries and marine resources.
