The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Rose de la Cruz
Decades of wanton trawling and destruction of seabeds and coral reefs mostly from commercial fishing vessels– many of them operating without permits, including those of recent years by Chinese fishing vessels– have led to the depletion of local fish stock, which necessitated the continued importation of mackerel, sardines and other species that used to teem in the country.
In recent months, since the commercial vessels could no longer get any catch from deep seas, they have lobbied with authorities including the courts for the rights to fish in municipal waters, which had been reserved from numerous laws and regulations for small fishermen.
Right now most of our fish supply come from fish farms (bangus, tilapia, shrimps and crabs) rather than from the high seas, because supplies in these deep oceans no longer exist, if at all, and being pelagic by nature, they constantly move to global water bodies scouring for their own food.
At the recent Convergence Summit for the Protection of Municipal Waters, the fishermen complained about illegal commercial fishing activities in municipal waters that continue to threaten the coastal communities of their very livelihood and sustenance.
They attribute the strong opposition to commercial fishing in municipal fishing grounds to the unfair competition between commercial fishers and artisanal and small fishers who depend mainly on fishing as a way of life, Business Mirror reported.
Citing the 2017 National Stock Assessment Program report of the National Fisheries and Research Development Institute (NFRDI), Oceana said 87 percent of the country’s fishing grounds are already overfished.
The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), a summit participant, said they are banding together to strengthen the ranks of small-scale fisherfolk and civil society organizations for the protection of the municipal waters.
In a brief talk, Pamalakaya Secretary General Salvador France discussed the implications of the ruling to over 2 million registered small fisherfolk across the country who stand to be affected, he said.
Summit participants expressed their alarm over the compounding impacts of the Malabon Regional Trial Court’s decision that declared unconstitutional the preferential access accorded to municipal fisherfolk and the jurisdiction of local governments in the 15-kilometer municipal waters. The Supreme Court 1st Division issued a resolution last year, upholding this decision.
“Municipal waters are reserved for small-scale fishers. This is aligned with the Constitution that promotes social justice. Yet we see illegal commercial fishers blatantly violating this and outcompeting our artisanal fishers, further intensifying socioeconomic inequalities. This isn’t just an environmental crisis; it’s an economic and food security emergency,” Atty. Liza Eisma-Osorio, acting vice president of Oceana said.
Citing data from the FB Page Karagatan Patrol, monitoring the detection of Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) from night lights of commercial fishing vessel revealed that commercial fishing illegally operating inside the 15-kilometer municipal waters continues and remains one of the significant threats to efforts to recover the country’s fisheries resources from overfishing, habitat destruction, marine pollution, and coastal projects.
A briefer prepared by the Philippine Association of Marine Science (PAMS), citing the presentation of Dr. Wilfredo Campos in said forum last January 22, said the average catch per fisher dropped from 5 kilograms in 2010 to 4 kilograms in 2023.
Over the past 13 years, the Philippines has lost an estimated 591,136 metric tons of fish. The quantity of fish lost during this period is sufficient to sustain 42 million Filipinos, based on an average per-capita consumption of 14 kilograms.
“This goes beyond mere statistics; it’s a crisis threatening the nation’s food security and the livelihoods of countless Filipino families,” said Osorio.
The Convergence Summit highlighted the aggravating threat of the Suipreme Cour’s decision on the already dire poverty and hunger situation in coastal communities. Municipal fisherfolk who are among the poorest in the country with a poverty incidence reaching 30.6 percent in 2021, face further hardship.
“Full implementation of our laws, particularly stopping commercial fishing inside municipal waters, is not only desirable but also essential. This requires a collaborative effort involving government agencies, scientists, and local communities to implement science-based policies that protect both the ecosystem and the livelihoods of those who depend on it,” the summit organizers stated.
Karagatan Patrol found 860 detections of vessel lights inside municipal waters on March 2-8, 2025. This is an 18.9-percent increase from 723 detections recorded from the previous week, on February 23–March 1, 2025.
A year-on-year analysis of VIIRS data further showed a 15-percent increase in boats detected inside municipal waters with 27,654 in 2023 to 31,843 in 2024. The hotspots among the municipalities are Zamboanga City; Cuyo, Palawan; San Pascual, Masbate; Tongkil, Sulu; Languyan, Tawi-Tawi; Pagbilao, Quezon; and Carles, Iloilo.
Osorio urged the local government officials, and other enforcement agencies to uphold their mandates to protect municipal waters and champion the interest of poor artisanal fishers and their families in coastal communities. “We are grateful that the League of Municipalities of the Philippines [LMP] has joined our call and through a recent resolution, commits to their duties to fully enforce environmental and fisheries laws,” Osorio added.
The LMP issued a resolution, dated February 10, 2025, upholding local autonomy as enshrined in Article X of the 1987 Constitution and the Local Government Code of 1991, granting municipalities the authority to manage, conserve, and protect municipal waters, ensuring ecological balance and sustainable use of marine resources. In the resolution, the league said the Supreme Court ruling not only disregards the rights and responsibilities of LGUs but also sets a dangerous precedent that could further erode decentralized governance and weaken LGUs’ capacity to enforce environmental and fisheries regulations.
During the summit, the stakeholders urged the BFAR, LGUs and other enforcement agencies to file criminal cases to ensure that more stringent fines and penalties under the Fisheries Code, as amended, are enforced.
In a commitment statement read to representatives of DA- BFAR and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the summit participants sought to develop sustainable fishing programs and alternative livelihoods to help affected communities recover.
To recall, in Panay Island, fisherfolk led by Pamalakaya-Panay and various sectors launched the “Aton ang Kinse Kilometro” alliance.
In La Union, the Timek Ken Namnama dagiti Babassit a Mangalap ti La Union (TIMEK), Pamalakaya’s provincial chapter launched a petition against the controversial SC ruling.
Pamalakaya earlier warned that the municipal fisheries output might “fall significantly” if the Court ruling takes effect.