Fisheries advocates express support for Senate vessel monitoring probe
MARINE conservation organization Oceana Philippines and fisherfolk federation PANGISDA Pilipinas said they support a Senate investigation into the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and its implementation of vessel monitoring systems.
They were responding to a proposal on Tuesday by Senator Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel for a resolution to investigate alleged enforcement shortcomings that have enabled commercial vessels to keep fishing illegally within 15 kilometers of shore — waters reserved by law for small-scale fisherfolk.
“We stand with Senator Hontiveros in her proposal to investigate BFAR for its failure to monitor commercial fishing vessels that violate the law and continue fishing inside municipal waters,” according to Pablo R. Rosales, president of PANGISDA Pilipinas.
BFAR “has been turning a blind eye to the primary cause of the collapse of our fisheries for a long time. This is because the government prioritizes commercial interests over the welfare of municipal fisherfolk.”
The Fisheries Code classifies the first 15 kilometers from shore as municipal waters, reserved exclusively for boats weighing less than 3.1 gross tons and employing non-destructive, passive fishing practices. However, the organizations claim commercial boats routinely violate this boundary.
Von Glenn S. Hernandez, vice-president of Oceana Philippines, said the Senate should investigate how the billions of pesos spent on vessel monitoring devices are being used to address the continuing decline in capture fisheries.
“The continuous intrusion of commercial fishing vessels inside municipal waters is one of the major causes of overfishing and the reason we are losing an average of 45 million kilos of fish every year,” Mr. Hernandez said.
According to a report by Oceana Philippines released in February, fisheries production fell to about 1.9 million metric tons (MT) in 2023 from 2.6 million MT in 2010.
“We support this investigation and we hope it leads to enhanced protection of municipal waters, especially against incursions from commercial fishing operations.”
Mr. Hernandez said BFAR has refused to share monitoring data with other agencies and local government units. Ms. Hontiveros cited these claims in the proposed Senate resolution, noting that the other agencies include the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police Maritime Group, marine protected area (MPA) managers, and LGUs with MPAs in their jurisdictions.
Citing preliminary data, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said municipal fisheries production crashed to 749,366 MT in 2025, the lowest since 2002.
By value, municipal fisheries generated P95.73 billion in 2025 according to the PSA, the lowest since the P94.75 billion posted 2021. — Pierce Oel A. Montalvo
