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18th Apr 13

Managed by Chatham House

Financed by DEFRA

Philippines

The Philippines ranked 11th among the top fish producing countries in 2003 with the production of 2.63 million tonnes of fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aqua plants. As an archipelagic state with over 2.2 million km of highly productive seas, the Philippines has vast fishery resources, and the most biodiverse marine area in the world. However all the country's main fish species and marine organisms are showing signs of overfishing.

The main species fished are small pelagics, tuna and other large pelagic fish, demersal fish and invertebrates. The tuna fisheries became the largest and most valuable fisheries in the Philippines in the 1970s, and the country became the number one producer of tuna in southeast Asia in the 1980s. However, as the catch began to decline, Filipino fishing companies began fishing in international waters.

The state of demersal stocks in Filipino waters is a real cause for concern. The main reason is over-capacity in the fishing fleet but, although concerns were raised as early as the 1960s, a lack of control has meant that many species have been virtually eliminated. The deep-sea fisheries resources are in many case uncharted and unknown and are relatively unexploited; however, the one deep sea fishery that has been exploited, the dogfish shark fishery, has seen the collapse of the species, so there is a clear need for proper protection and management of these areas.

The authorities have made real efforts to crack down on illegal fishing by both Filipino fishers and foreign fishers (mainly Chinese), at the national and regional levels. Illegal fishing in the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park has been highlighted by global conservation groups during 2007.

Problems faced by the authorities include persistent cyanide fishing, corruption by local officials, and links to serious crime, which have resulted in a number of murders of those enforcing the laws. However, some regions have seen dramatic falls in illegal fishing activities as a result of tighter controls.

documents (5)
events (1)
links (4)
news (328)
presentations (1)

documents

Taking Tuna Out of the Can: Retailers Roles in Rescuing the Worlds Favourite Fish
10/03/2008
Global tuna stocks are in trouble. For example, since industrial scale fishing of southern bluefin tuna began in the 1950s, the biomass of reproducing ...
Author: Greenpeace

Enmeshed: Australia and Southeast Asia‘s Fisheries
11/12/2007
Southeast Asia‘s oceans are fast running out of fish, putting the livelihoods of up to 100 million people at risk, leading to more illegal incurs ...
Author: Lowry Institute, Australia (Dr Meryl Williams)

Enmeshed: Australia and Southeast Asia‘s Fisheries
07/11/2007
Southeast Asia‘s oceans are fast running out of fish, putting the livelihoods of up to 100 million people at risk, leading to more illegal incurs ...
Author: Lowy Institute (Dr Meryl Williams)

Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) to Promote Responsible Fishing Practices (including Combating IUU Fishing) in the Region
04/05/2007
The Fisheries Ministers of 10 countries - Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, T ...
Author: Asia Pacific Fisheries Commission (APFIC)

Illegal recruitment of Philippino fishermen
04/05/2006
This letter was sent to Chatham House, and sets out the plight of poor Philippino young men, recruited illegally into the fishing industry. ...
Author: Apostleship of the Sea, Manila

events

APFIC Regional Consultative workshop on Capacity Reduction and IUU Fishing
13/06/2007
Click here for the papers and other information from the workshop held on 13-15 June 200

links

Asia Pacific Fisheries Commission (APFIC)

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Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Philippines
The BFAR is the government agency responsible for the development, improvement, management and conservation of the country‘s fisheries and aquatic resources.

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Coral Triangle Initiative On Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security
The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) is centered around high-level political commitments and proactive implementation by governments of the Coral Triangle area. It is supported by the private sector, international agencies and NGO partners. CTI aims ot provide a major contribution toward safeguarding the region’s marine and coastal biological resources for the sustainable growth and prosperity of current and future generations. The countries involved in CTI are Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

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Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDC)
The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1967 for the purpose of promoting sustainable fisheries development in the region. Its current Member Countries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. SEAFDEC undertakes research on appropriate fishery technologies, trains fisheries technicians, and disseminates fisheries information.

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news

presentations

Managing Fishing Capacity and IUU Fishing in the Philippines
13/06/2007

Author:
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Philippines

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