DA strengthens marine mammal safety rules

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is strengthening its marine mammal safety rules as the country seeks to resume its export of blue swimming crab to the United States.

DA Special Order 944 seeks the creation of an interagency task force to develop stronger policies that reduce the accidental catch of protected marine mammals and comply with foreign and international market requirements.

The agency also designated Agriculture Undersecretary Asis Perez to lead the interagency task force. 

Last May, the US government banned the entry of Philippine blue swimming crab products.

The US National Marine Fisheries Service announced the ban was due to the Philippine government’s inadequate documentation on mandatory marine mammal protection and bycatch monitoring programs.

The DA said the task force would create a policy for the prevention, monitoring, mitigation and management of the bycatch of marine mammals and other marine species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The task force will also strengthen the protection of the Irrawaddy dolphin and other affected CITES protected species without affecting the livelihood of blue crab fisherfolk.

It will also create and maintain a continuous national record of regulations, monitoring and mitigation measures that will be submitted to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - National Marine Fisheries Service along with other international agencies.

Agencies included are the DA, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Justice, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.

The US accounts for about 90 percent of the country’s blue swimming crab exports, worth about P6 to P7 billion annually.

The Philippines exports about 500,000 pounds of crab meat per month to the US, with most products sourced from Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu and other coastal communities.