Intrusions of big fishers in municipal waters rose in 2024 – conservation group

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In the same period, the Philippines recorded lower fisheries output in 2024 especially in marine municipal fisheries, according to PSA data

MANILA, Philippines – Suspected commercial fishing intrusions within the 15-kilometer municipal water zone rose by 10.5% from 2023 to 2024, data from illegal fishing monitoring platform found.

Detected intrusions rose to 31,843 in 2024 from 28,822 in 2023. These incidents were mostly observed in hotspots, according to conservation group Oceana Philippines, such as Zamboanga City; Cuyo, Palawan; San Pascual, Masbate; Tongkil, Sulu; Languyan, Tawi-Tawi; Pagbilao, Quezon; and Carles, Iloilo.

The platform, called Karagatan Patrol and developed by Oceana Philippines, is used by local governments to monitor intrusions and protect the preferential right of small-scale fisherfolks over municipal waters.

“Our fishing communities, already among the country’s poorest, now face emptier seas and shrinking livelihoods due to rampant illegal commercial fishing,” Oceana active vice president Rose-Liza Eisma-Osorio said in a statement Wednesday, July 16.

“Unless we act decisively to safeguard municipal waters and uphold the law, our dream of food-fish sufficiency will remain out of reach,” Osorio added.

A bigger problem is the 5% decline in total fisheries output in 2024. In particular, marine municipal fisheries output is down by 8.8% – from 879,960 metric tons (MT) in 2023 to 802,770 MT in 2024, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Commercial fisheries output increased by 4.2% in 2024, but volume of production remained lower compared to 2022 figures. According to the PSA, the 2024 fisheries output was the lowest on record since 2005.

Senator Kiko Pangilinan recently filed a resolution on July 8, urging the Senate to investigate the impact of allowing commercial fishing companies to operate in municipal waters.

Policy adjustments that will come out after the Senate probe seek to “protect municipal waters, ensure the sustainable management of fisheries, and safeguard the rights and welfare of small-scale fishers,” the resolution read. Currently, only Mercidar Fishing Corporation is exempted and allowed by courts to fish within the zone.

Since the Supreme Court’s ruling came out, upholding the decision of a lower court, scientists and advocates have warned that if Mercidar’s case becomes status quo, only 2% of traditional fishing grounds will be left to small fishers. – Rappler.com