THE gap between the conservation status of certain species of animals and conservation policies has been highlighted with the recent disclosure of illicit shark meat trade in Cebu.
Aggravating this deficiency is the lack of manpower of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) which is mandated by the Fisheries Code of 1998 (Republic Act 8550) to ensure the “Conservation, protection and sustained management of the country’s fishery and aquatic resources.”
BFAR Regional Director Andres Bojos admit there is lack in manpower to enforce current legislation on the protection and conservation of vulnerable marine species as well as the problem in enacting such laws at the national level.
To plug this gap, Bojos said, there is a need to dialogue more with stakeholders and come up with a unified action plan to address conservation concerns, as well as hasten policy legislation. A national stakeholders summit is planned in August this year to tackle these issues.
Bojos himself is aware how hard it is to protect threatened marine species. Equally difficult he said is passing national laws to protect threatened species and ask local government units to enact ordinances.
“It is so difficult for us because for one we don’t have laws to hold on to and we don’t have enough manpower to monitor the seas,” Bojos told Cebu Daily News during a meeting with oceans and fisheries stakeholders at the BFAR-7 office in Arellano Blvd, Cebu City.
“Pushing for laws for the protection of sharks and other vulnerable species is very hard when it is at the national level. It is better that local government units identify which species are for them important that needs protection and enact laws on it,” Bojos added.
Around 20 key stakeholders from different non-government organizations who were championing the protection and conservation of fisheries and marine life in the Visayas went to BFAR to meet Bojos on the recent issues on the exploitation of the seas.
Gloria Estenzo-Ramos of the Philippine Earth Justice Center (PEJC) said there is a need to strengthen the laws on marine protection and push for the creation of a separate department of fisheries to strengthen the management function of the government
In the Philippines, 10 out of 13 fishing grounds which are mostly found in the Visayas are exploited according to Oceans campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Vince Cinches.
Commercial fishing vessels have tremendously increased but the catch ratio has been decreasing. “We need to ensure that the protection, rehabilitation and conservation of the Philippine seas are a national priority and immediately create and implement a roadmap that would eliminate overfishing and allow the recovery of the Philippine fish stocks and marine ecosystem,” Cinches said.