1st quarter 2015 • Philippines Oceana launches Philippine office W hite sand beaches, shimmering coral reefs, and clear blue waters – these are the images that often come to mind when the Philippines is mentioned. What many people do not realize is that the country is also the center of marine biodiversity in the world. From manta rays to mangroves, bountiful bays and whale sharks, this archipelago of 7,100 islands has it all. It is estimated that more than 1.3 million small-scale fishers, the poorest sector in the Philippines, depend on these waters for their livelihood. With an annual marine catch of more than two million metric tons, the country ranks 14th in the world for fisheries. Photo by Edwin Castillon In his annual message, founder Michael R. Bloomberg said: “Our approach will, for the first time, reform both local and industrial fishing practices and help leverage private capital to produce a transition to more sustainable fishing. We will begin this work in Brazil, Chile, and the Philippines, which together account for 7 percent of the fish caught worldwide.” Oceana intends to support the government in its goal to promote national policies that protect the Philippines’ vast marine resources, using the law to ensure that fish and fishers receive much-needed attention and local action. For these reasons, Oceana – the largest international organization focused exclusively on restoring the world’s oceans – is proud to announce its launch in the Philippines, where it will work to rebuild the nation’s fisheries in partnership with Filipino citizens. Led by Vice President Atty. Gloria “Golly” Estenzo Ramos, Oceana Philippines will promote strong policy reforms aimed at restoring the bounty of its waters. “In a nation where fishing is critical to the livelihood of millions, it is deeply concerning that more than 75 percent of our fishing grounds are depleted. Overexploitation has been driven by excess fishing pressure, a lack of coordination among agencies, destructive fishing and until recently, a lack of political will to implement the laws,” says Ramos. The Philippine program is part of the $53-million Vibrant Oceans initiative of Bloomberg Philanthropies. Launched in 2014, the project aims to protect the supply of fish and keep the oceans thriving in the future. In the early morning sun, men and women gather shells and go fishing along the shores of Moalboal town in Tañon Strait, a marine protected area that is considered one of the richest fishing grounds in the country. Where have all the fish gone? At the National Fisheries Symposium, experts look for answers BFAR Director Asis Perez Seedlings for mangrove rehabilitation in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental. Atty. Golly Ramos The BFAR director noted that 70% of the protein requirement of Filipinos comes from fish. However, he said 41% of the population in the fisheries sector is poor due to lack of post-harvest facilities such as cold storage, processing of value-added products, and marketing support. Atty. Gerthie Mayo Anda, Executive Director of the Environmental Legal Assistance Center, spoke about conflict resolution in fisheries management. Among the types of conflict they have encountered are access to fishing grounds, law enforcement, and the rights of fishers. Legal reforms Atty. Gloria Estenzo Ramos, Vice President of Oceana Philippines, said the country has a “very progressive legal system for the protection of the environment and the species and their habitats,” citing the creation of environmental courts and the rules of procedure from the Supreme Court for environmental cases as examples. Meanwhile, civil society leaders shared their experiences in saving marine habitats from destruction, and said much more needs to be done to ensure the viability of fisheries. Dennis Calvan, executive director of NGOs for Fisheries Reform, cited the gains in the cancellation of foreshore lease agreements and providing land tenure security for fishing households. Dr. Daniel Pauly To help launch operations in the Philippines, Oceana hosted a two-day conference on Nov. 3-4, 2014 with the theme, “The Road to Sustainable Fisheries Governance.” Dr. Mike Hirshfield, Oceana’s Chief Scientist and Strategy Officer, formally introduced Oceana to some 100 stakeholders from the government and fisheries sectors, the justice system, academia, NGOs & POs, and the business community. For two days, delegates discussed various perspectives on the state of fisheries in the Philippines. Resource persons shared best practices in sustainable fisheries governance and effective law enforcement, and everyone took part in exchanging views about challenges, impacts, and reform proposals. Fishery violations Atty. Asis Perez, National Director of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), shared the government’s efforts in combating illegal, unregistered and unreported fishing since 2011. In his opening speech at the symposium, Perez said the government has proposed raising the maximum penalty for serious fishery violations to P10 million, from a measly P10,000 in the past. “We are doing this to protect our people,” said Perez. “There will be enough teeth in the law for violators to feel the pain.” In addition, he announced that the government is hiring 778 new enforcers with plantilla positions, backed up by over 100 vessels and sufficient funds for fuel to go against illegal fishers. However, he cautioned against greater attention given to the tourism industry in the rehabilitation of foreshore areas ravaged by super typhoon Haiyan last year, saying the livelihood of affected fishers needs to be prioritized as well. Vince Cinches of Greenpeace-Southeast Asia presented a “Roadmap to Recovery of Philippine Oceans” which aims to manage fishing capacity, improve the condition of critical ecosystems, benefit fishers, and strengthen government efforts. Justino Dacillo, a provincial fisherfolk representative, talked about his group’s efforts in enforcing fisheries laws in the province of Quezon. He said some of the outcomes included a reduction in the incidence of illegal fishing, increased participation in BFAR planning, more effective checks & balances in fisheries development, and better inter-municipality cooperation in northern Lamon Bay. Senior Superintendent Romulo Esteban from the Philippine National Police in Region 5 reported on the effectiveness of their campaign that has won them awards. Their collaboration efforts with other sectors resulted in 272 operations and 1,781 people arrested in the Bicol region in the first nine months of 2014 alone, which represents a huge increase from their previous year’s record. Faster decline in fisheries Oceana board member Dr. Daniel Pauly, who leads the “Sea Around Us Project” at the University of British Columbia, delivered the keynote address at the conference. He presented the results of a global study that indicated world fisheries catch is much higher than previously thought, and declining much faster than data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) suggests. In the Philippines, Dr. Pauly noted that much of the data from small-scale fishing is not included in the estimates for fisheries catch, even though these are also sold in the market. He said that much of the data coming from governments and fed into the FAO database, which is the only source globally of fishery statistics, are “biased downward” and do not include harvest from activities such as reef gleaning and sports fishing. Dr. Pauly led a workshop among scientists to discuss research work on the reconstruction of Filipino fisheries following the conference. Photos by Yasmin Arquiza, Rafael Bonnelly, Charlotte Grubb, Jenn Hueting, Candeze Mongaya, and Rob Stewart; additional photos from files Angelique Songco, Park Superintendent of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in Palawan, shared the good news that no incidents of illegal fishing have been recorded in the marine protected area since 2012. From the cases filed in previous years, 34% of violators have been convicted, 57% have been arraigned or are awaiting trial, while 3% were acquitted. “Protecting natural resources depends on good governance. Good governance depends on rule of law. Rule of law depends on compliance,” Songco said. A fisherfolk’s family selects fish in Malampaya Sound, Palawan. Photo by Rafael Bonnelly Cebu hosts first ever Tañon Strait summit I as the playground of cetaceans, with at least 14 species of whales and dolphins found in its waters. Tañon Strait was declared a protected seascape, the biggest marine protected area in the country, by thenPresident Fidel Ramos on May 27, 1998. It covers 521,018 hectares and borders 677 kilometers of coastline in three provinces. Previous research has identified 70 species of fish and 20 species of crustaceans in Tañon Strait, which is known to have an abundance of squid, shrimp, clams, and crabs. t has taken 17 years, and with the concerted efforts of government agencies and civil society, the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS) management board and stakeholders are finally meeting for the first time in a landmark summit and general assembly in Cebu City on Feb. 10-12, 2015. With more than 350 members, the Tañon Strait Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) has never held a general assembly due to its sheer size and conflicts between national agencies and local government units regarding jurisdiction and overlapping functions, said Protected Area Supervisor Viernov Grefalde. It also harbors a diverse range of marine habitats including 26 species of mangroves; 18,830 hectares of coral reefs representing 15 families; and seven species of seagrass, according to various studies. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), which chairs the PAMB, signed a memorandum of agreement with the marine conservation organization, Oceana Philippines, and RARE last January 15, 2015 as partners in organizing the general meeting of Tañon Strait stakeholders. Members of the PAMB include the local chief executives of 298 barangays, as well as 42 cities and municipalities. There are 126 locally managed and smaller marine protected areas within Tañon Strait. “Convening the PAMB and holding the stakeholders’ summit are bold, big and essential first steps to ensure governance in TSPS that is participatory, transparent, accountable, predictable and effective,” said Oceana Philippines Vice President Gloria Estenzo-Ramos. Known as one of the ten richest fishing grounds in the country, Tañon Strait is a narrow body of water between the islands of Cebu and Negros. It is known She noted that weak enforcement of laws and incoherent policies pose major challenges for Tañon Strait. For instance, she recalled that the government Printed on recycled paper allowed offshore drilling for oil in 2007 in its waters, even though it is a high priority conservation area for reef fishes. Ramos said citizen engagement and progressive leaders hold the key to the promotion of sustainable fishing in the Philippines. “Laws, rulings and rules remain empty if not implemented by the government and environmental rights are not asserted by the people,” she concluded.
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