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Monday, November 17, 2003
Less fish catch takes its toll on poor families
FISHERY experts warn that the decline in the country’s fisheries will have tremendous effects on Filipinos, particularly low-income households.
Fishery is culturally, socially, economically and ecologically important to Central Visayas, from sutukil restaurants to tourism to the livelihood of fisherfolk.
The five-year national stock assessment project of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) 7 has collected data on the state of fisheries in Camotes (northern Cebu) and the Visayan sea.
Data collected by the project reveal alarming trends: fish stocks are declining; fish caught and sold are smaller;and some of the more expensive predators or higher value species are disappearing, and are replaced by smaller fish which were deemed “trash” species 10 to 20 years ago.
More and more fishers stay longer at sea or are forced to employ destructive methods to increase their catch.
While consumers may not be aware of the decline, they feel the effects through increases in the price of fish and scarcity of species like lapulapu and lobster.
Those really hurt by the decline are small-scale fishers and their families.
Investment
Commercial fishing operators also suffer as their current catch could not equal the cost of investment made.
“In developing countries where fish is a particularly important part of the diet and subsistence of fishers still make up a sizeable portion of the populace, the potential human costs of the current decline in fisheries are huge,” states the Philippine Fisheries in Crisis, a recently published book of the Coastal Resources Management Project (CRMP) in coordination with BFAR.
The book points out that marine capture fisheries contribute significantly to food security by providing livelihood and protein to fishers and their families.
According to the authors of the book, fishing is the only means of livelihood for at least 1.3 million Filipinos engaged in small-scale fishing.
In Central Visayas, records at different municipalities suggest that there are about 300,000 full-time and part-time small-scale fishers in Central Visayas.
There are about 5,000 full-time commercial fishers.
More people earn from fishery-related activities, such as, fish vendors and ice factories.
The CRMP estimates about 400,000 people find livelihood in fishing and fishery-related activities in Central Visayas.
“If fisheries collapse, where will these people find employment?” Stuart Green of CRMP asked. “How can we feed the growing population?”
Alternative
“Finding gainful alternative employment for fishers and their families is difficult,” states the Philippine Fisheries in Crisis.
The BFAR central office in Manila reported that fisheries production, valued at more than P76 million, contributed 2.3 percent to the country’s gross domestic product in 2000.
The importance of fisheries to the country’s economy and food security cannot be overrated.
The Philippine Fisheries in Crisis stresses that as a source of food, “fish is indispensable, as other natural animal or vegetable protein sources are poor substitutes on both nutritional and economic grounds.”
Overfishing occurs when the amount of fishing effort is beyond the biological limits of the remaining fish population.
It is the point when fish catch exceeds the maximum sustainable yield and fish population drops lower than what is required for maintaining a viable and productive level.
The WorldFish Center, following a study conducted from 1998 to 2001, reported that the level of fishing in the Philippines is 30 percent higher than it should be.
Excess fishing
“This excess fishing is resulting in economic losses conservatively estimated at about P6.25 billion per year in lost fish catch.
The Philippine Fisheries in Crisis states that despite the continued expansion of the country’s commercial fishing fleet total fish catch leveled off at around 1.65 million tons in the early 1990s.
“If no appropriate action is taken to reverse declining fish production trends, only around 10 kilos of fish will be available annually for each Filipino by 2010,” it adds.
The key to remember in fisheries, Green said, is that it is a biologically renewable resource.
He compared fishing to planting rice: after harvest, the farmer has to leave a few seeds to be planted.
“Fisheries management and conservation is about fulfilling a balance,” he said. “We have to keep a balance between what we eat today and leaving enough supply for the future, otherwise we will see fish species disappear.”
The BFAR and the CRMP are urging stakeholders in Central Visayas to participate in the management of the region’s fishery resources. LAP
(November 17, 2003 issue)
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