DESPITE LOW FISH CATCH: Oposa blames BFAR for issuing licenses to commercial fishers

Visayan Sea Squadron team leader Antonio Oposa blamed the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources-7 for continually issuing licenses to commercial fishers even with the absence of a maximum sustainable yield (MSY) that is necessary for the determination of the allowable fish catch.

Oposa pointed out the failure of the BFAR to come up with MSY, which under Republic Act 8550, otherwise known as the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, is supposedly to be produced three years after the effectivity of the said law.

Oposa said that during the April 20 meeting, the head of the BFAR national stock assessment reportedly admitted that the MSY of the Philippine fisheries "had been breached as early as in the 1990s."

On the other hand, Rose Lisa Osorio of the Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation also confirmed the statement of Oposa, adding that issuance of licenses itself is illegal considering that "the law says that no permit shall be issued subject to the limit of the MSY."

Osorio said the fishing situation in the Visayan Marine Triangle Area is already "alarming", as there are more than a thousand licenses already issued since 1998 in the region and that this has resulted to the "dramatic decrease" of fish catch.

"Before it used to be 20 kilos per day per fisherman, karon it reduces to 2 to 3 kilos," she said. Nevertheless, BFAR-7 is obliged to produce the MSY for the region within 6 to 12 months upon signing of the MOA, which is going to be inked during the culmination of the environment law training for lawyers on May 20 at the Bantayan Sea Camp in Sta. Fe town.

The MOA, which was fine-tuned in a meeting at the Capitol yesterday, is going to be signed by the provincial government, local governments of Daanbantayan, San Remigio, Medellin, Bantayan, Sta. Fe and Madridejos, BFAR, Visayan Sea Squadron, CCEF, Young Lawyers Association of Cebu, the Northern Cebu Fish Operators Association, the Cebu Ringnet Operators Association and the UP Coastal Marine Survey, Philippine Navy, Coast Guard and Maritime Police.

It defines the responsibilities of each of the involved parties in the protection and conservation of the marine resources in the Visayan sea. - Cristina C. Birondo with Chris Martina B. Gestopa, STC Masscomm intern