TOMORROW, governors of Visayan Sea provinces (Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Cebu, Masbate, and Capiz) are convening once again to discuss how to protect, preserve and conserve their common waters. Destructive fishing practices threaten to further deplete the resources of the Visayan Sea.
Let’s be a little more specific. There was a time when Iloilo, and specifically the town of Estancia, was known as the Alaska of the Philippines and ranked as one of the top fishing grounds in the world (it is facing the Visayan Sea). Now, seldom can we see Estancia in the fisheries map because its marine stocks are depleted, no thanks to overfishing, fishing even during the fishes’ spawning season, the use of harmful fishing gears, dynamite fishing, etc.
Estancia used to teem with fishes and other marine products. The northern Iloilo town was bustling with commerce. Estancia’s marine riches were exported all over. Over time, however, things slowed down. The economic repercussions were almost immediately felt. Marginal fishermen and the poor were the most affected.
Thankfully, government officials both local and national have reached a certain level of awareness on maritime conservation and have instituted mechanisms to protect Estancia’s waters and other rich fishing grounds across the country. There’s the Bantay Dagat (sea patrol) that curbs illegal fishing and the observance of “closed season” for fishing in certain waters for a period of time to allow fishes to spawn, among others. The enforcement of fishery laws is being strengthened.
In all these, there has to be strong political will – and a consistent one. There is no other way to save our seas from the total depletion of its resources.
