PH steps up vs illegal fishing
THE Philippines has intensified its monitoring, control, and surveillance of its waters against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the country.
The Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) issued Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 266, which now includes all Philippine catcher vessels to install vessel monitoring measures ( VMM) and electronic reporting system (ERS).
Under the new order, vessels weighing 3.1 to less than 30 gross tons (GT) must have a BFAR-approved vessel monitoring system ( VMS) installed within one year from the order’s effectivity.
In the case of vessels weighing 30 GT or more, the VMS must be installed immediately, as per FAO 260.
In a statement, BFAR said “the VMM will enhance the capacity of the government to monitor fishing operations and enforce laws in Philippine waters to achieve longterm sustainability of our resources.”
VMMs are used to track and monitor the position, course and speed of fishing vessels at any given time for the purpose of managing fisheries and fishing effort and traceability.
This system will utilize an automatic location communicator or a tracking device equipped with a distress alert button, which when activated will automatically locate the vessel and alert authorities during accidents or other emergencies, ensuring safety of fisherfolk at sea.
The BFAR will accredit, verify as fully operational, and certify the tracking devices that will be used as prerequisite for registration or renewal of license.
On the other hand, an ERS will be used to record and transmit catch data including species and volume of fish caught, position of the vessel where the fish are caught, vessel activity, and port of origin and arrival in real time.
It will also improve the country’s catch documentation and seafood traceability.
“Data from ERS and VMS can also be used in tracking fishing behavior for scientific research and serve as basis for more effective fisheries management measures,” BFAR said.
FAO 266, signed by Agriculture Secretary William Dar, updates FAO 260 issued in 2018, which is the government’s initial effort in implementing VMM and only covers commercial vessels catching straddling and highly-migratory fish stocks.