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5 things to know about the

amended PH fisheries code
'The country's Rsheries code now has more
teeth and the necessary mechanisms to curb
illegal, unreported and unregulated Rshing' YOU BELONG HERE.
Book now from
$49/night.
Vince For more than
Cinches 3 years now,
Published
2:17 PM,
Greenpeace
September Philippines, kcaB
16, 2015
together with
Updated
2:17 PM, its allies and
September
16, 2015 supporters seirots esehT
from the Rshing industry, has been rehto edam
campaigning long and hard to end
elpoep
illegal and destructive Rshing that
"
has long plagued Philippine seas.
!tuo meht kcehC

http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/105971-need-know-amended-philippine-fisheries-code 04/10/2016, 15:47

Page 1 of 11
 &
In 2014, the group delivered a
Roadmap to Recovery to President
Aquino, a proposal to help reverse the
'
deteriorating condition of the
countrys marine resources, to

( safeguard the health of our oceans,

to secure the livelihood of coastal

) communities, and ultimately, to

ensure national food security.

The roadmap includes
recommendations from various
stakeholders and re^ects some of
the long standing demands of
municipal Rshers, sustainable
Rsheries industry players, coastal and
marine non-government
organizations, and scientiRc
organizations working to end
overRshing.

Thankfully, the recommendations

were well-received by the Bureau of
Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and
by other relevant agencies.

Just recently, the Aquino government

amended the Fisheries Code of the
Philippines (RA 8550). The law now
has more teeth and the necessary
mechanisms to curb illegal,
unreported and unregulated Rshing,
as mandated by the European Union

http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/105971-need-know-amended-philippine-fisheries-code 04/10/2016, 15:47

Page 2 of 11
 (EU) which plays a key role in the
Rsheries market.

In September 2015, the Department

of Agriculture (DA) will ofRcially sign
RA 10654, or the Implementing Rules
and Regulations of the Fisheries
Code, now titled as An Act to
Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal,
Unreported, and Unregulated
Fishing. The move has been strongly
anticipated by various sectors, while
some commercial Rshers continue to
protest against the IRRs restrictive
and inhumane rules and policies.

As seatizens and stakeholders of

the environment, most especially
those who love seafood, here are 5
things that you need to know about
RA 10654 or the amended Fisheries
Code:

1. There are too many boats out at

sea.

http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/105971-need-know-amended-philippine-fisheries-code 04/10/2016, 15:47

Page 3 of 11
 Photo from Shutterstock.

The adage plenty of Rsh in the sea

no longer holds true. The worlds
oceans are running out of Rsh due to
unsustainable, and at times illegal,
Rshing practices triggered by a high
demand for seafood.

Filipino scientists have said that we

already reached the maximum
sustainable yield of our seas back in
the 80s, prompting Rsherfolk
organizations and government
agencies to declare that 10 out of 13
of the countrys Rshing grounds have
been severely overRshed or have now
been depleted. Under RA 10654, there
will now be harvest control
mechanisms to limit Rshing efforts
based on the health of Rshing
grounds.

2. Somethings 6shy about todays

seafood.

http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/105971-need-know-amended-philippine-fisheries-code 04/10/2016, 15:47

Page 4 of 11
 Photo from Shutterstock.

Chances are, the Rsh on your plate

was most likely caught illegally.

Out at sea, there are a lot of

commercial Rshers with big boats
that can haul hundreds of tons of Rsh
at a time that are notorious for
Rshing in municipal waters, or areas
exclusive to small-scale Rsherfolk.
For decades, these commercial
Rshers have been Rshing illegally,
edging out Rshermen who simply
cant compete.

A single commercial Rshing

operation can impact the livelihood
of 65 small municipal Rshers. These
commercial Rshers simply sell their
haul to the market, passing it off as
legally-caught Rsh, robbing Rshermen
of their potential income. This is why
Rshermen remain one of the poorest
sectors of society.

Now, there is a way to stop this

highway robbery happening at sea.
Under RA 10654, there will now be a
vessel monitoring system that will tell
authorities when and where exactly
boats are Rshing.

http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/105971-need-know-amended-philippine-fisheries-code 04/10/2016, 15:47

Page 5 of 11
 3. Saved by the yellow card.

Photo from Shutterstock.

In 2014, the EU issued a yellow card

warning to the Philippines after
decades of rampant illegal,
unregulated, and unreported Rshing
happening in Philippine waters. This
means the EU is prompting the
Aquino government to comply and
amend our Rsheries law before trade
sanctions were imposed.

Just like in football, if countries do

not comply with international
Rsheries standards, the EU can issue
them a red card, as they have done to
countries like Cambodia and Sri
Lanka. A red card for the Philippines
would have resulted to a loss of P9.4
billion worth of Philippine Rsheries
export, certainly a huge dent to the
economy.

http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/105971-need-know-amended-philippine-fisheries-code 04/10/2016, 15:47

Page 6 of 11
 4. Penalties are no longer a slap
on the wrist.

Photo from Shutterstock.

One of the reasons why illegal and

unsustainable Rshing ^ourished is
because the government did not
impose tougher penalties to those
who did not follow Philippine
Rsheries laws.

For example, a Rsherman caught

doing dynamite Rshing only had to
pay a Rne of P5,000. Even
commercial Rshers, if caught and
apprehended for Rshing illegally, only
had to pay a few thousand
practically peanuts in this multi-
million peso industry.

RA 10654 makes it loud and clear

that illegal Rshers will be made to pay
a lot more to the tune of millions
for plundering our seas and

http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/105971-need-know-amended-philippine-fisheries-code 04/10/2016, 15:47

Page 7 of 11
 destroying marine ecosystems which
may take decades to recover.

5. Saving sharks and dolphins

In the hunt for more Rsh, many

commercial Rshers resort to
unsustainable Rshing practices like
using big purse seine nets or Rsh
aggregating devices which lure Rsh
and other sea creatures like sharks,
dolphins and even turtles. This is why
sharks and dolphins end up being
sold in markets, adding to the illegal
trade of endangered species.

Under RA 10654, it is now unlawful to

Rsh or take, catch, gather, sell,
purchase, possess, transport, export,
forward or ship out aquatic species
listed by the Convention on the
International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, or
those categorized by the
International Union for Conservation

http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/105971-need-know-amended-philippine-fisheries-code 04/10/2016, 15:47

Page 8 of 11
 of Nature and Natural Resources as
threatened, or those marine and
aquatic species determined by the
DA as such.

Fundamental changes need to be

made in the way our oceans are
managed from the top down. We
need a healthy and thriving marine
environment for our sustenance to
safeguard peoples livelihood, and to
ensure that we continue to have Rsh
on our plate.

We need seatizens support to uphold

the gains of this new and revitalized
Fisheries Code of the Philippines
before it is too late. Rappler.com

Vince Cinches is the Oceans

Campaigner of Greenpeace
Philippines.

Images of boats, Rsh, yellow card,

starRsh, and sharks from
Shutterstock.

Start Conversation

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http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/ispeak/105971-need-know-amended-philippine-fisheries-code 04/10/2016, 15:47

Page 9 of 11
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