Major players in the Philippine tuna industry are supporting moves to regulate fishing zones in the country and the total allowable catches of three major tuna species to ensure sustainability of stocks in the long term.
These measures are among the salient features of the National Tuna Management Plan (NTMP) formulated in 2004 and approved only in July 2005 by the National Tuna Industry Council.
Bayani Fredelusces, executive director of the Socksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries, Inc., urged the government to implement these measures as soon as possible, to protect the interest of big and small fishers.
â€At this point, the plan is yet to be implemented and still in the consultation process. The federation is pushing for its implementation to ensure the sustainability of the tuna industry,†he said in an interview.
According to the NTMP, the estimated annual total allowable catch for skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) must not exceed 150,000 metric tons; Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), 110,000 MT; and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), 7,500 tons.
â€Fishing operations shall be terminated when total allowable catch is reached,†the NTMP said.
Estimated current catch for skipjack is at 132,000 MT; 110,100 MT for yellowfin, and 9,000 MT for bigeye, it added.
The Federation, an umbrella of seven organizations, also pushed for zonification of fishing grounds in the country.
Under the NTMP, 0 to 10 kilometers from the shore must be used only by municipal fishermen using passive gears only; 10.1 to 15 kilometers from the shore, commercial handline fishing may be allowed when licensed by the municipal government; 15 to 20 kilometers from the shore, special zones in designated areas of Celebes Sea and Moro Gulf may be restricted to commercial handline tuna fishing only and all other areas within this band will be open to both handline and net fishing.
At 20.1 kilometers and beyond from the shore, would be open to legal forms of tuna fishing. “As far as the federation is concerned, we will follow these and the other contents of the NTMP. That is our commitment,†Fredelusces stressed.
Malcolm Sarmiento, Jr., director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, cited the United Nations Agreement on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks.
â€The world’s waters are coming under increasing regulations at both national and international levels. Within the past two years, there have been increasing efforts to establish effective regulation and control of fishing efforts in all areas, whether inside or outside of national jurisdiction,†he said.