SEAFDEC chief backs Municipal Fisherfolk Protection Act

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Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) Aquaculture Department Chief Dan Baliao voiced support for Senate Bill No. 522, or the proposed Municipal Fisherfolk Protection Act, during a Feb. 18 hearing at the Philippine Senate.

Baliao told the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform the measure is a “vital legislative shield” for the livelihood of subsistence fishers, whom he described as “the country’s most vulnerable food producers.”

The bill seeks to reinforce the 15-kilometer municipal waters zone for small-scale fishers and affirm the preferential access of municipal fisherfolk under the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, or Republic Act No. 8550.

The push to strengthen municipal waters protection comes amid renewed debate over nearshore fishing access, with government agencies and coastal advocates warning that expanded commercial operations could displace small fishers and strain already pressured fishing grounds.

While expressing full institutional support for the bill’s objective, Baliao raised concerns about Section 7, which proposes amendments to Section 18 of the Fisheries Code.

Under current law, small- and medium-scale commercial fishing may be allowed within the 10- to 15-kilometer band of municipal waters in areas not less than seven fathoms deep, or about 12.8 meters, subject to conditions and local processes.

Baliao cautioned that the seven-fathom threshold can still fall within ecologically sensitive shallow-water areas, where coral reefs and seagrass beds function as vital nursery grounds for fish.

“SEAFDEC/AQD recommends aligning the provision with other scientific proposals such as the Senate Bill No. 432, which sets the threshold at 20 fathoms or 36.5 meters,” Baliao added.

He said raising the depth limit to 20 fathoms would help ensure commercial vessels operate farther seaward of sensitive nearshore habitats and avoid disrupting nursery grounds within the core municipal fishing zone closer to shore.

Baliao also welcomed the bill’s requirement for scientific and technical assessments, along with socioeconomic impact evaluations, before any authorization of commercial fishing within municipal waters.

SEAFDEC is an autonomous intergovernmental regional treaty organization established on Dec. 28, 1967, to promote fisheries development in Southeast Asia.

SEAFDEC has 11 member countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

In the Philippines, SEAFDEC’s Aquaculture Department (SEAFDEC/AQD) was established in 1973 and is headquartered at the Tigbauan Main Station in Tigbauan, Iloilo. The department conducts research, develops aquaculture technologies, disseminates information, and provides training related to farming fish, crustaceans, mollusks and seaweeds for food security and sustainable development. (SEAFDEC/AQD)