Amid the ongoing disputes across the South China Sea, scientists from five countries have rung the alarm bell on the negative impacts of having lack of fisheries management cooperation among neighboring countries as they stressed the need to protect vital fish stocks from the "risk of collapse.”
During the event dubbed “Landmark five-country analysis of South China Sea fish stocks” in Manila on Friday, Sept. 2, the group of international experts from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam delivered a landmark analysis of the region’s shared fish resources that provide food and livelihoods for millions of people.
With fish stocks in the region down 70 percent to 95 percent since the 1950s, the launch of the 1st Common Fisheries Resource Analysis (CFRA) illustrated the benefits of international collaboration, providing a base of scientific evidence to build more sustainable management of the South China Sea’s resources.
Focusing on Skipjack Tuna, a highly migratory species, the group's report highlighted that the actions of one fishing country can affect many others. It further noted that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea imposes a special responsibility on coastal states to manage Skipjack Tuna stocks cooperatively.
"The current fishing levels of adult Skipjack Tuna are probably sustainable in most parts of the South China Sea,” the policy brief accompanying the report concluded.
However, it maintained that the risks remain regarding the overfishing of younger tuna.
“Throughout the South China Sea, there is increasing use of fishing equipment that can catch juvenile Skipjack Tuna. If left unmanaged, this could result in too many juveniles being caught before they can breed, which would result in a rapid decline of the population,” it stated.
The initiative, which started in 2018, seeks to identify practical steps for sustainable management of South China Sea fisheries resources and promote wider dialogue and collaboration.
Participants from the five countries convened eight times between 2018 and 2022, with more than 100 scientists and other experts contributing to the group’s first analysis.
"A single fish can breed in the waters of one country, feed in a second country, and be caught in a third country. By working together, we can achieve more than any country working alone,” said Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos, a CFRA participant from the Philippines National Fisheries Research and Development Institute.
“This joint analysis shows that regional scientists can work together to develop the scientific evidence that is essential for an effective regional response," the expert added.
Meanwhile, Philippines’ National Security Adviser Clarita R. Carlos said she is keen to promote fisheries management cooperation as a way to defuse tension over sovereignty disputes.
“The mindframe is that there is only one ocean. There is only one heritage of one kind. There is only one ecology," she emphasized in her keynote speech.
The new report and continuing work on the shared evidence base are part of efforts by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) to informally convene scientists and policymakers from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam to assess and protect key fish stocks in the region. It is part of HD’s private diplomacy, multitrack mediation and peacemaking efforts in more than 75 percent of armed conflicts around the world.