ACCORDING to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, overfishing and illegal fishing are taking a toll on the fish population in the Visayan Sea. That is why it has deemed it necessary to declare a “closed season” in the Visayan Sea for three months from Nov. 15, 2021 to Feb. 15, 2022. During this period, it is prohibited to catch sardines, mackerels and herrings.
This prohibition would allow the fishes to spawn and repopulate. An abundant Visayan Sea would ensure not only our fish supply but also the livelihood of our fisherfolk.
The Philippines has one of the world’s richest ecosystems, characterized by extensive coral reefs, sea grass beds and dense mangroves. It is located within the Coral Triangle and houses the world’s center of the center of marine biodiversity, the Verde Island Passage. Despite this abundance of marine resources, we know very well that a large percentage of our population living in coastal communities remain poor. An estimated four of 10 coastal residents in the Philippines live below the poverty line.
Unsustainable fishing practices, urbanization and pollution degrade our marine ecosystems. Moreover, the changing climate poses great threat to our seas.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, each of the last three decades had been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850. Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are now at levels “unprecedented in at least the last 800,000 years.” Oceans have acidified, having absorbed about a third of the carbon dioxide emitted. This has resulted in coral bleaching.
For an archipelagic country like the Philippines, this unraveling scenario is a nightmare due to threats of inundation, decrease in fish catch, and weak tourism in marine environments.
Rising sea surface temperatures and ocean acidification are projected to cause major damage to coral reef systems. Coral reefs are the food basket for the fish. A square kilometer of healthy coral reef may yield to about 30 tons of fish every year. But sea level rise, floods that damage fish farms, and increased acidification of the oceans by 2050 could reduce farmed fish yield by 90 percent.
The destruction of coral reefs, whether due to coral bleaching or destructive fishing practices, would translate to lower fish catch and lower protein for the people. It is estimated that 80 percent of the animal protein requirement of Filipinos come from our seas.
The annual “closed season” being observed in the Visayan Sea is one sustainable practice that must be supported. We must aim to increase fish production for the benefit of our fisherfolk, industry stakeholders and consumers, but we must do so through improved resource management and protection of the environment.
