Illegal commercial fishing in municipal waters is worsening poverty and food insecurity in coastal communities as the country’s fish stocks continue to decline international advocacy group Oceana said.
In fact, the group said latest data revealed that 87 percent of municipal waters are now classified as overfished.
On Thursday, March 20, participants of the Convergence Summit for the Protection of Municipal Waters raised alarm over the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision upholding a lower court ruling that removed the preferential access of small-scale fisherfolk and the authority of local governments over 15-kilometer municipal waters.
Lawyer Liza Eisma-Osorio, the acting vice president of Oceana, decried the increasing violations of Republic Act No. 10654, the amended Fisheries Code, which prohibits commercial fishing in municipal waters.
“Municipal waters are reserved for small-scale fishers. This is aligned with the Constitution that promotes social justice,” Osorio said in a statement.
“Yet we see illegal commercial fishers blatantly violating this and outcompeting our artisanal fishers, further intensifying socio-economic inequalities. This isn’t just an environmental crisis; it’s an economic and food security emergency,” she went on.
Data from Karagatan Patrol, which monitors commercial fishing vessel activity using the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), confirmed the continued presence of commercial fishing vessels illegally operating inside municipal waters.
Oceana warned that illegal commercial fishing remains a major threat to efforts to restore depleted fish stocks, which are already suffering from overfishing, habitat destruction, marine pollution, and harmful coastal development projects.
According to the 2017 National Stock Assessment Program of the National Fisheries and Research Development Institute (NFRDI), 87 percent of the country’s fish stocks are overfished.
A briefer from the Philippine Association of Marine Science (PAMS), citing a report by Dr. Wilfredo Campos, also noted that the average catch per municipal fisher has dropped from 5 kilograms in 2010 to 4 kilograms in 2023.
Over the past 13 years, the Philippines has lost 591,136 metric tons of fish, an amount that could have fed 42 million Filipinos, based on an average per capita consumption of 14 kilograms per year.
“This goes beyond mere statistics; it’s a crisis threatening the nation’s food security and the livelihoods of countless Filipino families,” said Osorio.
Poverty in coastal communities worsening
The summit also highlighted the worsening poverty among municipal fishers, one of the poorest sectors in the country, with a poverty incidence of 30.6 percent in 2021.
“Full implementation of our laws, particularly stopping commercial fishing inside municipal waters, is not only desirable but also essential,” summit organizers said in a statement.
“This requires a collaborative effort involving government agencies, scientists, and local communities to implement science-based policies that protect both the ecosystem and the livelihoods of those who depend on it,” they added.
Illegal fishing incidents increasing
Karagatan Patrol recorded 860 detections of commercial fishing vessel lights inside municipal waters from March 2 to 8, 2025—an 18.9 percent increase from the 723 detections recorded in the previous week (Feb. 23 to March 1, 2025).
A year-on-year analysis of VIIRS data also showed a 15 percent increase in commercial fishing vessels detected in municipal waters, from 27,654 in 2023 to 31,843 in 2024.
Among the identified hotspot areas for illegal commercial fishing are Zamboanga City; Cuyo, Palawan; San Pascual, Masbate; Tongkil, Sulu; Languyan, Tawi-Tawi; Pagbilao, Quezon; and Carles, Iloilo.
Local officials push back vs ruling
The League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP), representing local government units (LGUs) across the country, has opposed the SC ruling, arguing that it weakens LGUs’ ability to protect marine resources and enforce environmental and fisheries laws.
On Feb. 10, the LMP issued a resolution asserting local government autonomy under Article X of the 1987 Constitution and the Local Government Code of 1991.
The league warned that the ruling sets a dangerous precedent that could further erode decentralized governance and undermine conservation efforts in municipal waters.
“We are grateful that the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) has joined our call and, through a recent resolution, commits to their duties to fully enforce environmental and fisheries laws,” Osorio said.
Stakeholders at the summit urged the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and local government units (LGUs) to file criminal cases against violators of the Fisheries Code and impose higher fines and stricter penalties on illegal commercial fishing operations.
Summit participants also called on the Department of Agriculture-BFAR and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to develop sustainable fishing programs and alternative livelihoods to support coastal communities affected by declining fish stocks.