Philippine Wants To Legalize Tuna Handlining In Int’l Watersff

Philippine Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap has lauded the impending passage of a proposed law legalizing handline fishing in international waters, a measure that would further spur the growth of the US$ 33-million local tuna industry.

The law, which is estimated to raise fisheries production from 30,000 metric tons (MT) per year to about 50,000 MT, is expected to be signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo soon.

”Besides ensuring the livelihood of some 30,000 to 40,000 fishermen and their 200,000 dependents relying on the export-driven tuna industry, this law would likewise boost the economy of Central Mindanao,” Yap said.

”We are optimistic that the imminent passage of the Handline Fishing bill would further sustain and improve the impressive growth of the fisheries sector, of which the tuna industry accounts for 12% of its total production,” he added.

Yap said that once handline technology under the new law is developed, it could also benefit about 5,000 more small fishermen in Eastern Samar, Davao and Western Luzon.

He noted that the imminent passage of this congressional initiative is in line with the current thrusts of the DA - to create enough jobs in the country and boost the incomes of farmers and fisherfolk while at the same time pulling down the cost of basic commodities for ordinary consumers.

The proposed law aims to clearly define the registration and licensing of handline fishing or the traditional method of catching fish using a single hook and line, to enable fishermen to fish in international waters and firm up the country’s status as an exporter of world-class sashimi, smoked fish and other tuna products.

Yap said the proposed measure, once it becomes a law, would incorporate a simple procedure for registration by providing a One-Stop Shop for the industry.

It also provides legal protection on the fishing rights and safety of Filipino handline fishermen, especially those accessing international waters, he added.

Under the proposed law, which was a consolidation of the House bills filed by Reps. Luis Villafuerte and Darlene Custodio and the Senate version sponsored by Sen. Ramon Magsaysay Jr., handline fishing would be recognized as a form of commercial fishing to enable fishermen to register with the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and lawfully fish in international waters.

MARINA would be duty-bound under the proposed law to ensure that all handline fishing vessels are seaworthy and compliant with minimum standards on safety, manning, and radio communications.

Because handline fishing, at present, is not yet considered a form of commercial fishing, fishermen dependent on this means of livelihood are barred access to international waters.

International fishing laws mandate that each country should ensure that its vessels are properly registered and licensed to fish outside national waters.

Yap said the registration and licensing of all handline fishing vessels to enable them to fish in international waters would help boost the Philippines’ credibility as a producer of world-class, high-grade quality tuna.

”The law is a welcome development for the tuna fishing industry because it would promote the competitiveness and sustainability of this sector and its allied industries,” he said.

According to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), registered Philippine vessels engaged in tuna fishing in the western and central Pacific Ocean area only represent less than 10 percent of the country’s total fishing fleet.

Large, handline-caught tuna are exported as sashimi and marketed either frozen or smoked, mostly in General Santos City, to the United States, Europe and Japan. In 2005, the tuna industry yielded a total of 530,410 MT.

The industry now exports around US$ 33-million worth of tuna products annually.