CATCH COLLAPSE LOOMS: Commercial fishing in municipal waters will worsen catch decline — expert

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Legalizing the entry of commercial fishing vessels into municipal waters will worsen the decline in municipal fisheries catch, a fisheries expert warned.

Dan Baliao, chief of the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD), said the Supreme Court ruling on the 15-kilometer municipal waters does not directly affect aquaculture but poses a serious threat to small-scale fishers.

“Aquaculture is going up,” he said.

“While capture fisheries are going down steadily, they are really going down.”

He added that the intrusion of commercial fishing into municipal waters may be one reason for the continued decline in capture fisheries.

In Western Visayas, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported a 10.4% drop in total fisheries production in the first quarter of 2024, with volume estimated at 66,561 metric tons (MT), or 7,762 MT less than the same period in 2023.

Municipal fisheries — including marine and inland sources — posted a 20.5% decline, dropping from 25,072 MT in 2023 to 19,942 MT in 2024.

PSA data showed municipal fisheries had the largest decline among sectors, compared to commercial fishing’s 6.8% drop and aquaculture’s 4.4% decrease.

Municipal fisheries accounted for 30% of total production in the region, while aquaculture contributed 43.2% and commercial fishing 26.8%.

Marine municipal fisheries — or fishing within 15 kilometers from the shoreline — declined by 18.5%, equivalent to a 4,440 MT reduction in output in the first quarter of 2024 from the previous year.

Baliao warned that the Supreme Court ruling could severely affect the livelihood of over 2 million registered small-scale fishers who depend on these waters for survival.

He said large commercial vessels with higher catch capacities may overexploit marine resources.

“Twenty-four hours of fishing without replenishment. You need to have an ecological balance,” he said.

Baliao added that SEAFDEC/AQD is helping small-scale fishers shift to aquaculture as an alternative source of income.