Pacific fishery pact nears ratification

The Philippine fisheries sector is optimistic about the eventual ratification of a multilateral pact towards the sustainable management of the Pacific’s declining fishery resources.

Through the prodding of Philippine fishery officials, Japan, a major fishing and fish-consuming nation, has returned to the discussion table after a two-year absence through its participation in the third preparatory conference for the implementation of the Multilateral Convention for the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Species in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean held last month in Manila.

The Philippines has major interest in the Convention due its sizeable tuna industry, with a major tuna landing port and large canneries in General Santos City in Mindanao. Japan, meantime, is renowned for its large fishing fleets in the Pacific while also being the biggest net importer of fish in the world. Japan is also the biggest buyer of sashimi-grade tuna from the Philippines.

While 21 nations have already signed the Convention, it still needs to be ratified by at least 13 of them by September 2003 for it to take effect.

The recent Manila conference, participated in by 29 countries and six inter-governmental organizations, is part of a series of conferences that will draft rules of procedures and administrative guidelines towards the formal establishment of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission in early 2004.

Latest studies show that yellowfin and albacore tuna stocks are being fished in the Pacific Ocean at close to maximum sustainable yields (MSY) while bigeye tuna catches are already at MSY. Fishing of skipjack tuna is still at safe levels.

Meanwhile, the Philippines and Palau are expected to formalize a fishery cooperation agreement early next year. A Philippine delegation, led by Agriculture Undersecretary Cesar Drilon, recently met with top-level Palau officials in October to draw up the pact’s initial draft.

The Philippines is also pursuing a counter trade agreement with Russia for the export of Philippine canned tuna to Russia and exchange for imports of the latter’s Pacific saury, a small offshore fish.

A possible joint venture is also in the works between a French company and a Philippine firm towards the establishment of a vessel monitoring system that will help control illegal and unregulated fishing in Philippine waters. (GEM)