EDITORIAL - A fishing ban

No one will argue with the need to protect marine ecosystems and prevent overfishing. In this sense, the fishing ban declared by China every summer since 1999 should be welcome news. If the usual 10-week period could be extended, it would be even better for marine ecosystems in this region.

Chinese fishermen can use tighter regulation by their government. Only last March 31, 25 of them were apprehended by wildlife police within Palau’s marine protected area, way out in the Northern Pacific. One of the fishermen died of a gunshot wound. The rest set fire to their boat and let it sink. After they pleaded guilty to illegal fishing, they were fined and sent back to China.

Over the years, Chinese fishermen have gained notoriety for harvesting endangered marine species including giant sea turtles and engaging in destructive fishing methods. They are among the most notorious collectors of corals, destroying reefs that serve as natural habitats and breeding grounds for marine life.

The benign objective in the annual ban, however, also provides an opportunity for China to assert its territorial claims over waters claimed by other countries in the region. Vietnam, the most affected among the claimants by the Chinese fishing ban, has ignored it for the past years, raising tension in that part of the South China Sea.

A Chinese fisheries official said this year’s ban, which starts tomorrow, will cover even Panatag or Scarborough Shoal off Zambales, a traditional fishing area for coastal communities in the Zambales town of Masinloc. Extending the ban to a disputed area where a standoff between Filipinos and Chinese is in its second month can only aggravate the situation.

The Philippines has its own programs for protecting its marine resources, especially from foreign poachers and collectors of endangered species. It doesn’t need a seasonal fishing ban imposed by the country of origin of many of the poachers.