THE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) toughened its regulation of fishing vessels operating in “distant waters,” and sought to establish a monitoring list of such vessels suspected of engaging in illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUUF).
The new rules were outlined in an administrative circular claiming authority from Section 32 of Republic Act (RA) 8550, or the Philippine Fisheries Code, as amended by RA 10654.
The new circular implements stiffer fines for violations committed by Philippine-flagged vessels.
The Philippines is committed to crack down on IUUF at the insistence of trading partners like the European Union.
In an e-mail interview, BFAR Information Officer Nazario C. Briguera said that the amendment strengthens the regulatory regime for distant-water fishing.
“Our policies must… adapt (to) evolving issues in fisheries resource management,” Mr. Briguera said.
Monitoring of Philippine-flagged fishing vessels is performed via the BFAR’s Integrated Marine Monitoring Systems. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
