EDITORIAL
In the old days, fisherfolk only took from the sea the food that they needed. The oceans of the world were teeming with marine life, all for the sustenance and enjoyment of men of all races.
But the world’s booming population and the rise of empires and states, later of republics, gave rise to competition for resources that have become limited and hard to get. The seas were no longer allowed to regain its strength to provide life-giving products. Overfishing and other despicable activities led to environmental degradation, whether on land or in the waters surrounding it.
In the case of the Philippines, overfishing has been verified as the principal cause of the dwindling population of whale sharks and other species. A recent study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) showed that commercially important fish species are being overfished in parts of the country, to the detriment of small fisherfolk and coastal communities.
In India, indiscriminate fishing along Karnataka’s coast is a huge headache as juvenile fish are increasingly hauled out of waters by mechanized boats. The place’s oil sardine and mackerel catch is declining, and the situation is not helped by the burgeoning fish meal and fish oil industry which use edible, nutritious fish and process it into fish feed for the aquaculture industry.
To remedy the situation, the Philippine government imposes a fishing moratorium in the Visayan Sea every year to counter the severe decline in fish population attributed to the persistent issue of overfishing. The three-month ban on fishing is usually from November to February. The Visayan Sea is a major fishing ground for sardines, mackerel and herring in the Philippines. The sea covers an area roughly 10,000 square kilometers with 22 municipalities along its coastlines.
Visayan Sea is bounded by the islands of Masbate in the north, Panay to the west, Leyte to the east, and Cebu and Negros to the south. Twenty percent of all sardines in the Philippines are caught in this very important sea.
With the fishing ban, a crucial and commendable step has been taken to protect the invaluable marine biodiversity of the Visayan Sea. This move bans the fishing, sale, and purchase of specific fish species and sends a resounding message on the urgency of safeguarding our seas and oceans for future generations.
The fish species sought to be protected and conserved by the fishing ban are the following:
* Bali Sardine (Sardinella lemuru, locally known as tamban, tunsoy or haul-haul)
* Short-bodied Mackerel (Rastrelliger brachysoma, known as hasa-hasa)
* Goldstripe Sardine (Sardinella gibbosa, known as halobaybay, tamban, lapad, tamban lison or lapa)
* Indian Mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta, known as bulao or alumahan)
* Fimbriated Sardina (Sardinella fimbriata, known as tunsoy, lao-lao, tabagak, tamban or liryan)
* Rainbow Sardine (Dussumieria acuta, known as tulis, balantiyong or hilos-hilos)
In the case of the South China Sea, China has imposed a 90-day fishing moratorium
in certain parts of the SCS that they currently control. Parts of which are of course being disputed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.
China’s fishing ban is for four months and will end in September. This annual moratorium has been imposed by China as a matter of environmental policy, but the Philippines routinely objects to this. The Philippine Navy and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the government have announced that no Chinese-imposed fishing ban will be respected by Filipino fisherfolk.
By normal standards, an annual moratorium on fishing in these seas is acceptable among countries. Overfishing has been recognized as a serious problem in Europe as it is in Asia and the Americas. The waters of the oceans and sea have to be given time to rejuvenate. Overfishing is so insidious that if left unchecked, it will threaten the survival of much of marine life and ultimately, the livelihood of thousands of fishermen in the world, including the Philippines.
It cannot be gainsaid that catching too many fish at once, making the breeding population too depleted to recover, is the exact formula for maritime perdition. It will have a negative impact not only for Filipinos and Chinese, but all other fisherfolk in the world.
The crux is who imposes the fishing ban? That question is for another day to answer.
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