THE UNITED STATES Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Philippine government held a workshop recently to combat illegal fishing in the country.
'But China aggression continues in West Philippine Sea'
The workshop was supported by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the USAID’s Fish Right program, and experts from the University of the Philippines School of Statistics that facilitated the event.
The online workshop - attended by 135 participants – brought together various sectors to increase understanding on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing at a national level.
“This exercise is a critical first step to understanding the complex global threat that IUU fishing represents to ocean health and maritime security. I commend the Philippine government as it continues to ramp up its efforts against IUU fishing through investment in multi-stakeholder and inter-agency actions,” said U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission, John Law.
IUU fishing is a far-reaching and complex issue that threatens ocean health and maritime security of nations. While it is believed to be widespread in the Philippines, its magnitude, prevalence, and impacts are yet to be accurately quantified.
“As we cope and recover from this (Covid-19) pandemic, we need to ensure our food security, while at the same time consider our natural capital - our fish stocks and their habitats. This is the bluer normal we want to achieve towards the vision of a food secured and resilient Philippines with prosperous farmers and fishers. We cannot afford to lose our fish to IUU fishing,” said Undersecretary for Fisheries and BFAR National Director Eduardo Gongona.
Organizers said quantifying the losses to harmful fishing practices will enable fisheries managers to use the best available data to inform fishery policies. And this will be undertaken through the collaboration of BFAR and USAID in developing an IUU Fishing Index and Threat Assessment Tool that local governments can use to produce a more standard metric of IUU fishing throughout the country.
China Coast Guard
But there was no mention of reports of IUU fishing in areas where Chinese poachers and even China Coast Guard harassed and intimidate Filipino fishermen.
Just weeks ago, CNN Philippines reported that Manila filed a diplomatic protest to Beijing over the China Coast Guard's illegal confiscation of fish aggregation devices of Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, in May.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) protested the Chinese actions against the Filipinos. “The Philippines also resolutely objected to China’s continuing illicit issuances of radio challenges Philippine aircraft conducting legitimate regular maritime patrols in the West Philippine Sea,” the DFA said.
The DFA did not elaborate the incident involving Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, in May this year.
The Bajo de Masinloc has been the center of the maritime dispute since 2012 between the Manila and China when the Philippine Navy apprehended eight mainland Chinese fishing vessels illegally fishing in the country’s territorial waters. Since the incident, the China Coast Guard remained a steady presence in Bajo de Masinloc despite the shoal being located in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
CNN Philippines said the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled in 2016 in favor of the Philippines, saying there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights over most of the West Philippine Sea using their “nine-dash line” claim. The ruling covered Bajo de Masinloc as part of the Philippine territorial waters.
China has repeatedly refused to recognize the PCA ruling and continued to reclaim islands in the disputed areas for military and research purposes.
Despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s soft stance on China in the country’s claim in the West Philippine Sea, some incidents occurred in the disputed waters. The most famous of which was when a Chinese boat hit F/B Gem-Ver in Recto Bank in June 2019, forcing the 22 Filipino fishermen to float in the open sea for hours before they were rescued by a Vietnamese vessel.
In March, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. admitted there are more than 130 Chinese fishing vessels lingering around Pag-Asa Island in Palawan.
In the fourth anniversary of the historic PCA ruling last July, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. called on China to adhere to the ruling, saying the arbitration award is “non-negotiable.” (Mindanao Examiner, CNN Philippines)
http://mindanaoexaminernewspaper.blogspot.com/2020/09/us-philippines-hold-workshop-to-combat.html
Just weeks ago, CNN Philippines reported that Manila filed a diplomatic protest to Beijing over the China Coast Guard's illegal confiscation of fish aggregation devices of Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, in May.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) protested the Chinese actions against the Filipinos. “The Philippines also resolutely objected to China’s continuing illicit issuances of radio challenges Philippine aircraft conducting legitimate regular maritime patrols in the West Philippine Sea,” the DFA said.
The DFA did not elaborate the incident involving Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, in May this year.
The Bajo de Masinloc has been the center of the maritime dispute since 2012 between the Manila and China when the Philippine Navy apprehended eight mainland Chinese fishing vessels illegally fishing in the country’s territorial waters. Since the incident, the China Coast Guard remained a steady presence in Bajo de Masinloc despite the shoal being located in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
CNN Philippines said the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruled in 2016 in favor of the Philippines, saying there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights over most of the West Philippine Sea using their “nine-dash line” claim. The ruling covered Bajo de Masinloc as part of the Philippine territorial waters.
China has repeatedly refused to recognize the PCA ruling and continued to reclaim islands in the disputed areas for military and research purposes.
Despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s soft stance on China in the country’s claim in the West Philippine Sea, some incidents occurred in the disputed waters. The most famous of which was when a Chinese boat hit F/B Gem-Ver in Recto Bank in June 2019, forcing the 22 Filipino fishermen to float in the open sea for hours before they were rescued by a Vietnamese vessel.
In March, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. admitted there are more than 130 Chinese fishing vessels lingering around Pag-Asa Island in Palawan.
In the fourth anniversary of the historic PCA ruling last July, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. called on China to adhere to the ruling, saying the arbitration award is “non-negotiable.” (Mindanao Examiner, CNN Philippines)
http://mindanaoexaminernewspaper.blogspot.com/2020/09/us-philippines-hold-workshop-to-combat.html
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