EDITORIAL - Marine conservation

With the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources declaring a fishing moratorium around Panatag or Scarborough Shoal off Zambales, the government should study other areas where marine resources need breathing space for self-replenishment.

The BFAR directive came on the heels of a 10-week fishing moratorium announced by China, effective May 16, over areas in the South China Sea that it claims as its territory, which is practically the entire sea except for a few hundred meters of coastal waters for other countries. The summer fishing moratorium, ostensibly for environmental purposes, has been seen as a way for China to exercise its disputed sovereignty over waters claimed by four other countries plus Taiwan, which Beijing considers as a breakaway province.

With the BFAR announcing its own fishing ban in Panatag, where Philippine and Chinese vessels have been in a standoff since last month, the Philippine government should go beyond the dispute and identify other areas that can use a fishing moratorium. The country has several marine reservations, including Tubbataha Reef Natural Marine Park in Palawan where Chinese fishermen have been caught poaching in the past. Conservation efforts have also intensified around the Verde Island Passage in Batangas, which has been tagged as the “center of the center” of marine biodiversity in the world.

But there are many other areas across the archipelago that need protection from destructive fishing methods, overfishing, pollution, and harvesting of endangered species. Some coastal communities have learned in recent years the benefits of marine conservation, especially for sustainable marginal fishing and local tourism. One example is Donsol in Sorsogon, where summer is whale shark or butanding sighting season.

Many commercial and marginal fishermen will agree with the need to ensure the sustainability of marine resources. But there are irresponsible individuals – and not just foreign poachers – who continue to engage in fishing methods that destroy coral reefs and contribute to a lengthening of the list of endangered marine species. Their activities should be as carefully monitored and regulated as those of foreigners intruding into Philippine waters.