The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Oceana Philippines and Futuristic Aviation and Maritime Enterprise Inc. (FAME) are stepping up the pilot-testing of radio frequency-based vessel-monitoring system (VMS) in preparation for the full-scale nationwide enforcement of Republic Act (RA) 10654, or the amended Fisheries Code.
On Wednesday representatives from the BFAR, Oceana and FAME successfully installed transponders onboard three commercial fishing vessels, whose owners or operators agreed to pilot-test the technology.
This is the first time that operators of commercial fishing vessels have acceded to the request of Oceana, which facilitates dialogues with various stakeholders, in preparation for the implementation of RA 10654.
Ronaldo Aguila, technology specialist of FAME, said the solar-powered transponders were installed in two small-scale and one medium-scale fishing vessels.
A transponder is a device that helps track and monitor vessels during fishing expedition. The transponders emit radio-frequency signals, which allow data receivers to record movement and pinpoint a host vessel’s exact location, somewhat similar to that of a global positional tracking system.
Vessel classification
Commercial fishing is classified depending on the capacity of the vessels.
Small-scale commercial fishing is fishing with passive or active gear utilizing fishing vessels of 3.1 gross tons up to 20 gross tons.
Medium-scale commercial fishing utilizes active gears and vessels of 20.1 gross tons up to 150 gross tons.
Large-scale commercial fishing utilizes active gears and vessels of more than 150 gross tons.
Prohibitions
Commercial fishing is prohibited within the 15-kilometer municipal fishing ground.
Fishing is also illegal in marine protected-areas (MPAs).
RA 10654 states that no municipal, commercial or distant water fishing vessel shall engage in fishing activity without complying with the vessel-monitoring measures promulgated by the BFAR in coordination with LGUs.
Tampering, switching off, or disabling the VMS device is also punishable by law.
Since VMS application in the Philippines is relatively new, almost all commercial fishing vessels have no monitoring device.
Transponders will allow government regulators, as well as operators, to pinpoint the exact location of a vessel with transponders as they move.
The installation of the transponders on Wednesday was done in the presence of the BFAR, represented by Aga Khan M. Salong, a member of the Quick Response Team of BFAR Region 12; and lawyer Rogert Guzman, legal and policy officer of Oceana.
Oceana, an ocean conservation advocacy non-governmental organization, is pushing for the implementation of the amended Fisheries Code, particularly the provision mandating the installation of vessel-monitoring device in commercial fishing vessels.
Encroachment
According to Oceana, commercial fishing vessels continue to encroach and catch fish even in municipal fishing grounds, and are sometimes “raiding” MPAs or “no-take” marine reserves, which constitute a serious violation of RA 10654, which lapsed into law on February 27, 2015.
Targets
General Santos City is considered the tuna capital of the Philippines. Many commercial fishing companies there engage in catching the commercially viable tuna for export.
The city also hosts eight large tuna-canning factories, which export canned-tuna products.
The city’s fish port is also the only fish port in the Philippines that passed the European Union standard.
Commercial fishing companies are reluctant to install transponders in their fishing fleets because of the cost.
Several operators of commercial fishing vessels in the Visayas have defied BFAR and Oceana’s appeal to test the technology, fanning fears that commercial fishing companies will give regulators a hard time in enforcing RA 10654.
Meanwhile, Oceana Philippines, led by its vice president, environmental lawyer Gloria Estenzo-Ramos, said LGUs can help stop commercial fishing vessels from raiding municipal fishing grounds, including their local MPAs, by requiring commercial fishing companies to install transponders in their fishing vessels as a requirement for the issuance of business permits.
Likewise, she said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), can also require the installation of vessel-monitoring devices for commercial fishing vessels that pass through national MPAs to track their movements.
On April 7 the PAMB of the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape (TSPS) passed a resolution requiring commercial fishing vessels to install vessel monitoring device.
Oceana Philippines had expressed alarm over the depleting fish catch as a result of overfishing, mainly by commercial fishing companies.
Around two-thirds of the country’s fishing grounds are already overfished and the fish being caught are getting smaller and smaller, including the lowly sardines.
Through the vessel-monitoring device, the government, particularly the BFAR, LGUs and even the operators of commercial fishing vessels themselves will be able to know whether their fishing vessels are in the right fishing ground and are not fishing outside their designated fishing grounds.
This will also boost rescue effort in case the vessels get lost at sea, had engine trouble or capsize during strong typhoons, Ramos said.
LGUs, according to Ramos, can make this mandatory by passing local ordinances, imposing a stiffer penalty and higher fines, for owners and skippers of their fishing vessels.
“Some local government units in Cebu and Bohol are looking into passing local ordinances requiring commercial fishing vessels to install vessel-monitoring device,” Ramos said.
He added that during policy dialogues, representatives of commercial fishing companies admitted sneaking into municipal fishing grounds to catch fish. They are also against the mandatory installation of vessel-monitoring device.
“Other commercial fishing companies are seeking an extension. But we disagreed. They should adhere to the policy of vessel-monitoring systems,” Ramos said.
Continuous dialogue
Danilo Ocampo, Oceana Philippines campaign manager, said the BFAR-led dialogue in partnership with Oceana was recently held in Naga.
“The consultation meeting in Naga went well. We encountered no major problem,” he said.
The dialogues for the Visayas and Mindanao will be held starting this week.
In the Visayas, particularly Negros, commercial fishing companies, Ramos lamented, appear to be defiant and would not even grant requests for pilot-testing of vessel monitoring device in any of their fleets.
Oceana has an ongoing pilot-testing of vessel-monitoring devices in several noncommercial fishing vessels in Tañon Strait, since commercial fishing companies have rejected their appeal for test-runs.
“Despite all the meetings we had with them (commercial fishing companies) … and the meetings are spearheaded by the BFAR, still they refused to pilot-test VMS. Maybe because it is just a pilot testing and it is not yet required that is why they are defying us and the BFAR to pilot-test,” Ramos said.
The group is testing two technologies, FAME’s technology and another from the United States.
Both could be obtained at a low cost, according to Ocampo.
The Pelagic Data System from the US uses a mobile data-based system, while FAME makes use of radio frequency signals.
Pilot-testing was done in several noncommercial fishing vessels that operate in the provinces of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Cebu.
Oceana is also currently testing the Filipino VMS technology in San Carlos City and in Siquijor.
“These technologies are affordable. The Filipino company is charging only P800 a month. We believe it is affordable,” he said.
Need
According to Ocampo, enforcing the VMS under the amended Fisheries Code is urgently needed to regulate and stop overfishing that has been causing fish-stock depletion in the Philippines.
The amended Fisheries Code imposes stiffer penalty and fines for violators of the VMS.
Section 119, which refers to noncompliance with VMS, states that upon a summary finding of administrative liability, the owner or his representative operating the fishing vessel faces punishment with confiscation of catch, suspension or revocation of license and an administrative fine equivalent to twice the value of the catch or P10,000 for municipal fishing or community service in case of failure to pay the fine; P250,0000 for small-scale commercial fishing; P500,000 for medium-scale commercial fishing and P2.500 for large-scale commercial fishing.
In case the violation is committed outside national jurisdiction, the administrative fine shall be equivalent to five times the value of the catch or twice the amount of the corresponding fines for municipal fishing, small-scale, medium-scale and large-scale commercial fishing.
Image credits: WWF