New import policies will only worsen plight of fisherfolk

This refers to the article titled “PH to import 25,000 MT of fish to ensure fish supply” (Inquirer.net, 4/26/24).

It stated that the Department of Agriculture (DA) authorized the importation of 25,000 metric ton of frozen small pelagic fish for wet markets ahead of the closed-season fishing ban to be imposed in the last quarter of this year. It also stated that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesperson Nazario Briguera said that the country usually imports every year to ensure that supply is stable during the closed fishing season. It further stated that Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balicasan said his office was not biased toward importation and argued that the government bears the responsibility of utilizing various instruments in its arsenal of policy tools to stabilize prices while performing a delicate balancing act.

However, the bottom line of the issue is that the annual fish catch is becoming much lower than the estimated maximum sustainable yield (MSY). Based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Philippine Fisheries Situation reports, the marine fish catch (commercial and municipal) reached its highest level at 2.426 million MT in 2010. In 2023, it declined to 1.703 million MT, or a drop of 30 percent. Likewise, the catch declined from 1.814 million MT in 2022 to 1.703 million MT in 2023, or a drop of 111,000 MT or six percent.The above data indicate that much still has to be done by the multistakeholders led by DA-BFAR in undertaking marine capture fisheries management to rebuild the fish stock. This measure is expected to increase catch gradually until reaching the MSY by reducing fishing efforts together with the provision of alternative livelihood for those affected.

What is worrisome is the widening gap between fish supply and demand as the population grows. This results in an unending increase in the market price while the fisherfolk who sell their catch to middlemen at low farm prices continue to experience decreasing income from fishing. Hence, it is perfectly right for a fisher’s group to argue that DA Memorandum Order No. 17 on fish importation and Administrative Order No. 20 which seeks to enhance the country’s agricultural importation policy only worsen the plight of local fishermen.The long-term solution to the narrowing gap between fish supply and demand vis-a-vis attaining the MSY is to formulate and implement a smart policy on rebuilding the fish stock.

Edmundo Enderez,

edmenderez@gmail.com