As consumers, are we mindful of the fact that each day-to-day choice that we make leaves a lasting impact not just on our health but also that of our ecosystems and our future?
Take the case of our favorite dried fish, danggit, or rabbitfish in English. It is no longer considered a poor person’s food because of the price that has skyrocketed compared to its cost decades ago.
Have we also not noticed that they have become smaller than they were 10 or five years ago?
Are we not alarmed that if we are going to continue to eat the small ones, there will be only a handful left that will be able to reproduce and feed a growing populace?
Scientists have long been saying that marine habitats and the species they host are subjected to intense pressure from over-fishing, destructive fishing, pollution and unregulated coastal developments. We do have the necessary laws for their protection.
We, in fact, subscribe to integrated coastal resources management and biodiversity conservation to protect and better manage coastal ecosystems. But enforcement and monitoring leave much to be desired.
Except for a handful of local government units or LGUs which are champions for marine conservation and food security, local government units have yet to fully acknowledge and take ownership of their crucial role and responsibility for sustainable and judicious utilization, management, development, conservation and protection of fishery resources.
For example, how many LGUs have set aside portions of their municipal waters as marine protected areas (MPAs) for conservation? True, the Philippines is supposed to have the most number of MPAs, “with current estimates at about 600 MPAs. However, the majority of these MPAs are poorly enforced (people in the regions either ignore their restrictions or don’t even know of their existence) and as a result are highly ineffective.
On the other hand, there are several MPAs in the Philippines that are well known for having an impact on the health of their reefs by enhancing fish biomass, decreasing coral bleaching, and increasing yields in adjacent fisheries. One notable example is the MPA surrounding Apo Island.” (Wikipedia)
LGUs also need to coordinate and collaborate with the national agencies in the implementation of the laws and capacitating enforcers and stakeholders in performing their responsibilities.
An inspiring development is the much-welcome political will being shown by the head of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Director Asis Perez. Under his stewardship, a closed season was declared for sardines in the Zamboanga Peninsula.
The BFAR website notes that “Under the Joint DA-DILG Administrative Order or JAO-1 s. 2011, sardine fishing in the waters of East Sulu Sea, Basilan Strait and Sibuguey Bay is temporarily suspended for three months from December 1 to March 1 in order to give way to the fish species’ spawning period.”
“The sardine closed season in Zamboanga peninsula has significantly increased sardine catch since its implementation three years ago… BFAR national director Asis G. Perez said that the success of the sardine closed season is the result of the unyielding cooperation between local government units, partner agencies and stakeholders.”
Director Perez said that, “For three years now, we see reports of an increased volume in sardine production supported by testimonies from the fisherfolk as well as sardine operators. This, indeed, affirms our decision to establish a closed season for the conservation of sardines.”
The indispensable participation of all stakeholders including concerned citizens is crucial for marine conservation and food security. The collective indignation through an online petition over the discovered shark fin shipping by the Philippine Airlines compelled the latter to ban it and commit to conservation and protection of our resources.
This is significant. It proves that unified voices from civil society can and do influence policies whether in government or business sector. It also shows that the corporate sector can no longer disregard the clamor from the citizenry for more sustainable policies.
Humanity’s callous disregard of sea creatures like the unfortunately much-dreaded shark is exemplified by the mindless act of slicing off their dorsal, pectoral and lower tail fins by a hot metal blade, for soup, then tossing them back, dead, dying or alive, to the sea. Without their fins, sharks could not possibly swim, so they die by bleeding, starvation or end up being eaten by other predators.
It is estimated that around 35 to 100 million sharks, notably blue, hammerhead, silky, mako, and thresher sharks are killed each year.
Unless strict implementation of laws and regulations to sustainably manage our vanishing marine resources are in place, and stakeholders ensure that it is done, there will come a time when danggit, sharks, sardines and other species will just become a memory.
We have to change the propensity for short-term gains, and certainly not forget about our responsibility for the future generation’s needs. Most important, we have to be smart consumers and consider where the food we eat comes from or how they were acquired. In addition, we need to actively support exemplary public officials like Director Perez who shares our goal of a sustainable future.
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