The local tuna industry has expressed support to domestic and international conservation efforts to ensure its long-term sustainability and competitiveness in the global market.
Marfenio Y. Tan, president of the Socsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries, Inc. (SFFAII), said the commitment to observe conservation measures was due to the significant contribution of the tuna industry to the local and national economies.
“The Philippine tuna industry is among the key players in the global tuna industry both in terms of fishing and canned tuna production...[thus] it is imperative for the industry to adhere to existing efforts geared towards tuna resource management,†he said recently.
For tuna catch volume, the country places second to Taiwan, said Bayani B. Fredeluces, SFFAII executive director.
Tan said that tuna, being a highly-migratory species, needs to be responsibly and conscientiously managed by all the players in the industry.
The government has put in place the Philippine National Tuna Management Plan as part of its conservation efforts.
Tan also noted that recent management regimes called for a more collaborative effort among stakeholders.
The two months prior to September 30, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission closed the western and central portions of the Pacific Ocean to purse seine fishing employing fish-aggregating devices in catching tuna.
Starting January 1, 2010, the European Union is set to implement the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing policy.
Fredeluces earlier said that at least two sectors of the local tuna industry, fishing and canned businesses, stand to bear the burden of Europe’s regulation.
Under that new European fishing policy, tuna fish producers and canned tuna exporters shall present a catch certificate on their products so it can be traced.
Gabriel Munuera-Vinals, a commercial counselor of the European Commission delegation to the Philippines, said that requests to extend the implementation of the IUU policy will likely not be heeded.
“We’re confident that by January 1, the Philippines will have all the arrangements put in place to ensure compliance with the IUU regulation,†he told reporters.
