Once the crown jewel of the Philippines’ blue economy, our marine sector is now gasping for air. A policy report by the US-based Oceana titled “Net Loss: How Governance Gaps are Sinking Philippine Fisheries” paints a grim picture of a resource in freefall—a systemic collapse that should alarm every stakeholder, from the corridors of power to the local wet markets.  

Oceana estimates that since 2010, the country has suffered a cumulative production loss of almost 600,000 metric tons of potential fish catch—an average of 45 million kilograms annually—due to weak law enforcement. According to Oceana Philippines Vice President Von Hernandez, this would have been enough “to provide a healthy meal to every Filipino for one month.” In a nation where seafood is the primary protein for millions, this isn’t just an environmental statistic; it’s a full-blown food security emergency.

Established in 2001, Oceana is the world’s largest advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. With global headquarters in Washington, D.C., its track record and research carry the weight of scientific expertise. When an entity of this stature warns that our waters are being hollowed out, the international community and domestic investors alike take notice. 

The basis for Oceana’s recently released report is “The Philippine Fisheries Assessment: A Glimpse of Republic Act 10654’s 10-Year Implementation,” a comprehensive technical study authored by scientists from the University of the Philippines (UP) Visayas. They conducted a deep-dive audit of fisheries data and the impact of the 2015 amendments to the Fisheries Code. Their findings are not mere conjecture; they are a call to action backed by rigorous science. 

What’s driving this plunge into the abyss? While geopolitical tensions in the West Philippine Sea dominate the headlines, the Oceana report suggests the silent killer is closer to home. A lack of legislation and a chronic enforcement deficit in our own marine backyard make for a fatal combination.

Despite the amended Fisheries Code, commercial vessels continue to encroach on municipal waters with impunity. Karagatan Patrol’s satellite monitoring system detected over 270,000 “night lights” from 2017 to 2024 within the 15-kilometer zone reserved for small-scale fisherfolk. These are telltale signs of widespread, large-scale commercial fishing operations poaching in our grounds. 

Karagatan Patrol is an online platform and community-led monitoring system launched in 2019 by Oceana and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines. It serves as a high-tech watchdog for shorelines where the persistent practice of dynamite fishing has already decimated entire food chains.  

As we assert our sovereign rights against external threats, we cannot afford to neglect the internal governance gaps destroying our resources from within. The maritime dispute with China is a complex issue best addressed through constructive dialogue and steady diplomacy—not a blame game that distracts from the immediate threats facing our fisherfolk. Redirecting all maritime assets to distant shoals ignores the domestic crisis: 88 percent of our assessed fish stocks are overfished and depleted.  

A decade ago, Senator Francis Pangilinan pointed out that the country’s 1.7 million fisherfolk were among the "poorest of the poor" due to the lack of a clear agenda for the sector. This was validated by an Oxfam International report revealing that some fisherfolk earned as little as ₱2,500 per month. The socio-economic fallout is heart-wrenching.  

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who served as Secretary of Agriculture during the first two years of his term, should prioritize the strict implementation of maritime laws within our own shorelines. We must fix our house first; without political will, the "blue economy" remains a hollow catchphrase while our seas become nothing more than "paper parks" protected only on a map.  

If we fail to protect our municipal waters and modernize our post-harvest infrastructure—where we currently waste up to 40 percent of the catch—we are essentially fishing our future into extinction.