NEXT month, Feb. 15, the three-month fishing ban / closed season on the Visayan Sea – a rich fishing ground bordered by the islands of Panay, Negros, Cebu, and Masbate – would end. Fishermen would be able to resume catching sardines, herrings and mackerels. The annual closed season for these fish groups gives them a chance to replenish their population.
There was a time when Iloilo, and specifically the town of Estancia in northern Iloilo near the Visayan Sea, was known as the Alaska of the Philippines and ranked as one of the top fishing grounds in the world. Now, seldom can we see Estancia in the fisheries map because its marine stocks are depleted, no thanks to overfishing, fishing even during the fishes’ spawning season, the use of harmful fishing gears, dynamite fishing, etc.
Estancia used to teem with fishes and other marine products. The northern Iloilo town was bustling with commerce. Estancia’s marine riches were exported all over. Over time, however, things slowed down. The economic repercussions were almost immediately felt. Marginal fishermen and the poor were the most affected.
Overfishing and illegal fishing endanger the population of fishes. These have adverse economic impacts. The Philippines has one of the world’s richest ecosystems, characterized by extensive coral reefs, sea-grass beds and dense mangroves. It is located within the Coral Triangle and houses the world’s center of the center of marine biodiversity, the Verde Island Passage. But despite this abundance of marine resources, a large percentage of our population living in coastal communities remains poor. An estimated four of 10 coastal residents in the Philippines live below the poverty line. Unsustainable fishing practices, urbanization and pollution degrade our marine ecosystems. For an archipelagic country like the Philippines, this unraveling scenario is a nightmare. It would translate to lower fish catch and lower protein for the people. It is estimated that 80 percent of the animal protein requirement of Filipinos come from our seas.
We call upon everyone in the fishing industry to strike a delicate balance. We must aim to increase fish production for the benefit of our fisherfolk, industry stakeholders and the consumers, but we must do so through improvement of resource management, equitable distribution of benefits, and protection of the environment.
