Counting The Last Fish

Diving enthusiast, Marine Scientist and travelers alike will recognize the Philippines as a powerhouse for aquatic species. However, the ocean that was besieged with alluring corals and marine species is fast losing its initial vibrancy due to over-fishing. As such, measures from the Philippine government such as granting access permits for fisherman only when they possess the necessary licenses, imposing catch ceilings and declaring close seasons have been considered with each presenting its unique advantages and pitfalls.

At present, the Fisheries in the Philippines are managed by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ( BFAR) and the Local government Units (LGUS). The legal guidelines include the  Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 and the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernisation act 1997. The codes allow the local government to regulate and monitor resources and to make necessary enforcement to prevent further dwindling of resources. One such measure is through close season declared by the government to address overfishing of Sardines in Zamboanga (Southern Philippines)

In the year 2010, a strain in the sardine stocks due to over-exploitation of fishing ground led to the government’s call for the closure of Sardine capturing site where violators can be subjected to long-term imprisonment from 6 months to 6 years or a fine of 6000 pesos including a forfeiture of catch.(Israel, Carinan, & Paquco, 2016, p. 15) While this implementation came effective in raising stock levels through proper coordination amongst multiple stakeholders in fishery management, the resulting large number of personnel that had been laid off could not be ignored. Although measures have been in placed by the government to mitigate job losses such as through advocating entrepreneurship, the support has been met with little success with much remaining jobless.(Israel, Carinan, & Paquco, 2016, p. 17)

Reflecting on this issue, it is critical to avoid such drastic strategy of ceasing fishing activities completely especially when innumerable jobs in the sardine industries are at stakes. Under more traditional management, fisheries may have a catch limit but individual fisherman do not. Hence, unless they are instructed to stop, fishing will likely to continue on at an uncontrolled rate. With this in mind, one alternative that could be considered is to implement Individual Transferrable Quotas (ITQ) where finite resources are viewed as personal properties that have to be purchased. Not only does this inculcate a greater sense of accountability that is essential for one to refrain exceeding a pre-defined limit for the catch but also reduces the tendency where fisherman would be driven to maximize their personal gains by competing with other fishermen for the same resource pool. In combination with this, fisheries could also invest on catch-monitoring system that will reduce the likelihood where competitors can violate the limits