Indonesia allows RP to tap tuna fishing grounds

The Philippines will still be allowed to tap Indonesia’s tuna-rich fishing grounds for at least one year despite failure by their governments to renew a mother trade agreement that would cover a bilateral fishery pact.

"Before the end of the year, we hope to come up with a mother agreement that would allow our fishermen to continue to have access in the fishing grounds of Indonesia but in the meantime, we’re getting a grace period of one year while negotiations are ongoing to extend the bilateral agreement for another three to five years," said Agriculture Secretary Domingo F. Panganiban.

The bilateral fishery agreement expired last Dec. 2, 2005.

The Philippines is seeking to renegotiate for a five-year extension of the fishing agreement until 2011 to further bolster its position as one of the top producers of processed tuna in the Pacific.

Currently, local tuna fish processors are exporting to Europe, US, Japan and neighboring countries. Continued access to Indonesian grounds will also mean generating more jobs and higher income for the local tuna fishing and cannery industry in Gen. Santos City in Mindanao.

The previous agreement signed in 2002 allowed Filipino fishing vessels to harvest tuna and tuna-like species within the Indonesian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The agreement provides licenses to the Philippines for 75 catcher vessels, 150 fish carriers, 20 long liners, 300 light boats, and 10 single purse seiners, and allowed access to the Pacific and Indian Ocean areas of the Indonesian EEZ. It also provides offloading and re-supply access to 10 Indonesian ports.

In the ongoing talks, the Indonesian government has reportedly been insisting on implementing a quota system instead of the bilateral fishing agreement.

Under the quota system, 70 percent of the fish catch will be retained in Indonesia and only 30 percent will be allowed for Philippine fishing operators to be processed in Gen. Santos.

The Indonesian government is also proposing that Philippine fishing operators enter into joint ventures and expand existing partnerships with their Indonesian counterparts, especially in tuna cannery.