Illegal fishing amounted to 27 to 40 percent of fish caught in 2019 in the Philippines, which translates to approximately P62 billion ($1.3 billion) annually, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement was based on a report jointly released by the USAID and BFAR containing a study which qualified illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Philippines and identified what more should be done to eradicate IUU fishing in the country’s vast waters.

As defined in the report, IUU fishing ranges from small-scale, unlawful domestic fishing to more complex operations carried out by industrial fishing fleets.

It also described IUU as “by nature complex and clandestine, which means data are hard to come by and substantiate.”

In September 2020, more than 100 experts and practitioners from BFAR, USAID, Rare Philippines, the University of the Philippines (UP) Marine Science Institute, and the UP School of Statistics participated in a consensus-building workshop where they estimated the quantity and value of illegal and unreported fish catches in the Philippines and discussed the local context of unregulated fishing.

The results of the workshop and the accompanying survey comprised the report. It highlighted that while the government has invested significant resources in the campaign against illegal fishing, its operational assets have to be augmented to curb the country’s huge economic losses from destructive and unsustainable fishing practices.

According to the report, fisher compliance with fisheries laws and regulations requires a strong, responsive governance structure, and that reducing IUU fishing is a shared responsibility that requires a whole-of-society approach guided by science.

USAID Philippines Mission Director Lawrence Hardy II emphasized that addressing IUU fishing remains an important Philippine government priority, citing its more than three decades of partnership with BFAR to promote sustainable fisheries.

“We are pleased that this report will further strengthen government efforts to help prevent IUU here in one of the world’s most biodiverse marine sanctuaries,” Hardy said.

The report likewise noted that at least 30,000 or 30 percent of municipal vessels remain unregistered, and commercial fishers do not report up to 422,000 metric tons of fish each year. These statistics show the vast impact IUU fishing has on the Philippines’ marine ecosystem.

“Our strong resolve to prevent and put an end to IUU fishing in Philippine waters will not waiver, especially now that we are gaining momentum technology-wise,” said DA-BFAR Director Eduardo Gongona.

Gongona added that with the use of science and data, they are now developing an IUU Fishing Index and Threat Assessment Tool, which will be adopted in the 12 Fisheries Management Areas.

The tool will provide them with periodic information needed to identify other ways to encourage voluntary compliance, strategically guide law enforcement operations, and clearly communicate the progress in reducing IUU fishing in the Philippines.