THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said it will convene next month the fisheries and aquaculture industry to prepare a 10-year development plan for the sector.
“The Road Map… will identify the problems and challenges in the fisheries industry and the government interventions needed to address these,” Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said in a social media post on Thursday.
“The capture fishery has not been given enough support by the government and all these years hatcheries have just focused on the production of Bangus and Tilapia fingerlings,” Mr. Piñol added.
He noted that the country loses every year an estimated P3 trillion in revenue due to illegal fishing including poaching by foreign fishing fleets which are encroaching on the Philippine Rise, the official name for Benham Rise east of northern Luzon.
Through the development plan, the agency aims to identify the country’s leading fishing grounds and establish post-harvest facilities, the lack of which results in losses of as much as 40% of the catch.
Among the issues to be addressed in the development plan is the depletion of freshwater fish resources due to overfishing and destructive fishing practices. — Janina C. Lim
