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Friday, April 28, 2006
RP to host international tuna conference
THE Philippines will host an international conference that seeks to adopt measures and impose regulations to sustain tuna stocks, a highly-migratory fish specie.
Bayani Fredelusces, executive director of the Socksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries Inc., said leading world tuna policy makers and traders will meet in Manila in early August to discuss issues affecting the industry.
At least 20 countries will participate in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission scientific committee second meeting.
The commission's scientific committee was first held in New Caledonia in August last year, where several tuna management options were discussed.
"Member countries will give recommendations to the commission on the scientific side like data collection, status of stocks and allowable catch for tuna species," Fredelusces said.
Last year, the Philippines ratified the Multilateral High Level Convention on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.
The convention is an international fisheries pact that sets the conservation and management of tuna resources along the Pacific fishing grounds, including the Philippines.
With the ratification, Stanley Swerdlof, senior fisheries consultant of the Growth With Equity in Mindanao program, said the Philippines could actively take part in the formulation and implementation of measures to manage the Pacific's tuna resources.
The ratification of the convention guarantees the Philippines full membership status in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, the regional body tasked to manage tuna resources in the rich Pacific fishing grounds, he said.
The commission determines total allowable catch, allocate quotas to member-countries, and regulate fishing methods.
The ratification of the convention would augur well for the country's tuna industry -- 80 percent of which is based in this city -- as it stands to benefit from catch quota allocations from the $3 billion resource in the Pacific, Swerdlof said.
Of the three tropical tuna species in the Pacific grounds, bigeye and yellowfin are fished at or above maximum sustainable yield.
Only skipjack tuna fisheries remain below its maximum sustainable yield.
According to GEM, a United States Agency for International Development funded program, the Philippine tuna industry lands around 1,000 metric tons of tuna daily, which generates annual revenues reaching $300 million.
General Santos city is the country's leading supplier of canned tuna, high value sashimi tuna and tuna steaks to the Japanese, European and American markets. (RBS)
For Bisaya stories from General Santos.Click here. (This section is updated every Monday)
(April 24, 2006 issue)
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