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Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Tuna industry welcomes pact implementation
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- With the Senate's recent ratification of the Multilateral High Level Convention (MHLC) on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, the Southern Mindanao tuna industry is gearing up to play by international rules to ensure its continued competitiveness in the coming years.
The MHLC is an agreement among more than 20 Pacific and European countries to efficiently manage and conserve the Pacific Ocean's tuna resources.
The ratification of the convention guarantees the Philippines full membership status in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), the regional body tasked to manage tuna resources in the Pacific Ocean.
The Commission will determine total allowable catch, allocate quotas to member-countries, and regulate fishing methods.
More importantly, the Southern Mindanao tuna industry--80 percent of which is based in General Santos City--stands to benefit from catch quota allocations from this $3 billion resource.
The Philippine tuna industry lands around 1,000 metric tons (MT) of tuna daily, which generates annual revenues reaching $300 million.
General Santos is the country's leading supplier of canned tuna, high value sashimi tuna and tuna steaks to the Japanese, European and American markets.
"The manner in which the international tuna industry--including the Philippines--deals with resource sustainability will determine the state of the Pacific stocks in the years to come," points out Dr. Stanley Swerdlof, senior fisheries consultant for the USAid-funded Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program.
Of the three tropical tuna species, bigeye and yellowfin are fished at or above maximum sustainable yield. Only skipjack tuna fisheries remain below its maximum sustainable yield.
Being a signatory to the MHLC Convention, Dr. Swerdlof says the Philippines can actively take part in the formulation and implementation of measures to manage the Pacific's tuna resources.
The Philippines is a party to the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Law of the Sea and the UN Fish Stock Agreement, which require the country to support global initiatives aimed as efficiently manage the region's highly-migratory fish stocks.
Ensuring the sustainability of the Pacific Ocean's fish stocks and enhancing the competitiveness of country's tuna industry in the global market will be among the key issues to be tackled during the forthcoming 7th National Tuna Congress slated from September 2-3, in General Santos City.
Fishing operators, traders, processors and representatives of concerned government agencies are expected to discuss vital issues affecting the competitiveness of the local fishing industry and recommend measures geared towards obtaining a bigger slice of the international tuna market.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (August 31, 2005 issue)
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