Key to effectively stop overfishing

The news item titled “No more big fish; overfishing blamed”

(Inquirer, 9/13/11) stated that the “country’s most affordable and popular fish are getting fewer and smaller as major marine grounds have become heavily exploited over the years, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said.”

It must be noted that overfishing is a worldwide phenomenon affecting both rich and poor countries. It undermines fish food security and worsens poverty in the fishing communities of developing countries.

In the Philippines for two decades now, pursuant to Republic Act 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, the BFAR, together with local governments and some NGOs, has been implementing a “fisheries management program” to address the problem of overfishing. Under this law, fisheries management has been institutionalized and practiced through the coastal resource management (CRM) approach at the municipal and barangay levels.

CRM, which addresses not only overfishing but also fish habitat degradation, is the main responsibility of the local government units (LGUs). It includes such activities as fishery law enforcement; fish sanctuary establishment and protection of endangered species; mangrove reforestation; and advocacy. But it is the partnership of the the LGU-NGO-community organization in CRM implementation that ensures better results.

As a result of CRM, there has been a gradual increase in the volume of fish catch from municipal waters, which could lead to the maximum sustainable yield as measured vis-à-vis the fish-carrying capacity of the managed water area.

But it has been estimated that even at its maximum sustainable yield, fisherfolk income from municipal fishing will still be considered below the poverty line. It is for this reason that livelihood diversification has been incorporated in the CRM projects that have been launched by the government (e.g., the community-based resource management project or CBRMP under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Fisheries Resource Management Project or FRMP under the Department of Agriculture-BFAR and by the NGOs (e.g., the community-based coastal resource management or CBCRM project).

However, the key to the successful management of livelihood projects is the presence of good volunteer leaders who take the lead in CRM work and at the same time assume management roles in livelihood development.

Like Juanito Obispo, president of the Songculan Guso Farmers Association (Sogufa) which is engaged in CRM, in seaweeds farming, and “bangus floating cage culture” which has earned the distinction of being the most successful of the 20 or so projects in Bohol. For this reason, Obispo has been a DA Gawad Saka awardee in fish culture (2008), and was appointed in 2009 as the regional fisherfolk director of BFAR for Region 7. He has also been invited by several NGOs, LGUs and LGU-NGO partnerships to serve as one their officers.

—EDMUNDO ENDEREZ,

[email protected]