Benham Rise eyed as food zone

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agriculture (DA) wants President Duterte to declare the 13-million hectare Benham Rise as a protected food supply zone to ensure the country’s marine food security.

“I will recommend to President Duterte that the Benham Rise should be declared as a Protected Food Supply Exclusive Zone,“ Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said following a three-day exploratory trip to the mineral-rich area east of Luzon.

A group of scientists and government officials led by Piñol went to the territory last May 5 to 7 to check the area’s potential as a food source.

The DA will propose the construction of a facility in Benham Rise that will house a research center for marine scientists, a dock for the local fisherfolk, an ice-making plant to keep fish catch fresh, a station for the Coast Guard and a weather radar station.

“The facility will serve as a research base of Filipino scientists and aquamarine researchers and a monitoring station for illegal fishermen and poachers,” Piñol said.

Piñol led the distribution of 15 payaos or fish aggregating device (FAD), the initial batch from a total of 30 payaos which are designed to catch more fish.

“This is a pro-active action to discover how rich Benham Rise is as far as natural resources are concerned. More importantly,  this is also to protect the area from overfishing and to give our fisherfolk priority access to Benham Rise’s marine resources and make them partners in ensuring the protection of Benham Rise,” Piñol said.

The DA chief is also urging the government to allocate more funds for the deployment of more payaos in the area to enhance the catch of local fishermen.

Piñol said fishermen in the area reported the continuing presence of Taiwanese long line fishing boats which sometimes chase the Filipino fishermen who get near the long lines deployed in the waters within Philippine territory.

“There is a need for the government to intensify its monitoring of the entry of foreign vessels, especially poachers, in the area to protect Filipino fishermen,” he said.

The DA also plans to declare a closed fishing season in the area during spawning period to attain sustainability.

“The country will benefit more if it will protect and conserve the Philippine Benham Rise because while minerals and oil supply is finite, the capacity of the fish species in the area to multiply is limitless,” he said.

To address illegal fishing in the region, the DA will propose to the Department of Budget and Management the acquisition of helicopters and 20 unmanned drones to aid in patrolling the Philippine coastal areas.

“The Philippines is losing $30 billion yearly due to illegal fishing; that is why we are reinforcing our efforts against illegal fishing while exploring new fishing grounds for our people” Piñol said.

The undersea region east of Luzon is located off the provinces of Aurora and Isabela and is duly recognized by the United Nations in 2012 as the newest Philippine territory under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Scientists and environmentalists declared the Benham Rise as a rich fishing ground which could sustain the country’s marine needs if properly protected and managed.

Benham Bank, the shallowest portion of the unexplored seamount, is one of the traditional fishing grounds of coastal dwellers on the northeastern coast of Luzon.

Scientists studied the underwater terrain of Benham Bank covering 12 research stations and discovered different soft and hard corals, fish, algae and sponges.

Based on oceanographic explorations, there are more than 50 species of fish and tiered plate corals in Benham Bank.

The area is part of the spawning grounds for the Pacific bluefin tuna which are known to swim to the US and Mexico, but come back to spawn in the western Pacific, including Benham Rise.