(Mark Balmores/MANILA BULLETIN)

AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee called on the Marcos administration to strictly implement existing fishery laws in an effort to increase the country’s fish stock.

“While President Marcos said last year that he was not imposing a fishing ban, the government should fully implement existing fishery laws and regulations that would deter illegal fishing activities and the encroachment of commercial fishing vessels into municipal waters,” Lee said in a statement on Wednesday, Jan. 31.

Lee cites the need to step up the implementation of the Fisheries Code, particularly in the installation of vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and electronic reporting systems (ERS) among commercial fishing vessels.

The Bicol lawmaker stressed the need to be vigilant against overfishing and illegal fishing because these are the primary reason for the country’s dwindling fish stocks.

A report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) stated that there is a 5.2 percent decrease in fisheries production for the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the year before.

This is in complete contrast to the agriculture output, which seems to be on an upswing. The PSA report showed a 0.7 percent year-on-year increase in the fourth quarter of 2023 thanks to improved crops, poultry, and livestock production.

“Sa isang banda, natutuwa tayo na kahit papaano tumaas pa rin ang year-on-year agriculture output natin sa Q4 (fourth quarter) pero sa kabilang banda ay nakababahala rin na bumaba ang produksyon natin sa pangingisda,” Lee said.

(On the one hand, we are happy that our year-on-year agriculture output somehow increased in Q4 but on the other hand, it is also worrying that our fishing production has decreased.)

According to Lee, the decline in fisheries production is “certainly very concerning” given that the Philippines is an archipelagic country with one of the longest coastlines in the world.

“We are declared as the world’s center of marine biodiversity and yet our fisheries output has been consistently declining. Sabi nga ng mga kabataan (as the youth say), make it make sense,” he said.

“Naniniwala tayo na ang administrasyong ito ay may sapat na political will para ipatupad ang ating mga batas na pumoprotekta sa kabuhayan ng ating maliliit na mangingisda at mabawasan ang kanilang pangamba na walang maipantustos sa pangangailangan ng pamilya, lalo na sa panahon ng pagkakasakit,” he added.

(We believe that this administration has enough political will to implement our laws that protect the livelihood of our small fishermen and reduce their fear of not being able to provide for the needs of the family, especially during times of illness.)