USAID partners with DA to improve PHL fisheries sector

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) signed on Sept 30, 2021 a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formally launch a new partnership that will improve the Philippine fisheries sector’s performance and help national and local governments take an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management.

Under this partnership, USAID and the DA’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources will work together to support the conservation and rehabilitation of habitats for fishery resources; institute reforms to address overfishing and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; and incentivize conservation through private-sector engagement.

“Our two countries share an enduring partnership in the areas of sustainable fisheries and marine biodiversity conservation,” said U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Heather Variava. “I am proud to say that our relationship grows stronger over time as we learn from each other and find more ways to collaborate around our shared goals.”

This new partnership will bolster collaboration on the Philippines’ Fisheries Management Areas and further align USAID programming with the Philippine government’s priorities for fisheries management and conservation, including the department’s “One DA” approach to directly benefit resource-poor farmers and fishers.

This MOU is being implemented under the five-year Development Objective Grant Agreement for Enhanced Ecosystem and Community Resilience, which was signed between USAID and the National Economic and Development Authority on February 3, 2021.

For the past six decades, USAID has been collaborating with the Philippine government, private sector, and local organizations to improve everyday lives, investing more than Php259 billion ($5.1 billion) toward shared development goals since 1961.