Government urged to install vessel monitoring system

MANILA, Philippines — Oceana Philippines reiterated its call for transparency at sea to protect the lives of fishermen amid the recent sinking of a Filipino boat by a Chinese ship in the West Philippine Sea.

It asked the government to adopt a vessel monitoring system to track the behavior of fishing vessels within and outside the country’s territorial waters.

“Our fisheries laws are clear on requiring tracking device for commercial fishing vessels, but if we continue to ignore its importance in deterring illegal fishing and possible human rights abuses, and take the business-as-usual mindset, our own people will face the grave consequences,” Oceana Philippines vice president Gloria Ramos said.

The monitoring system for all commercial fishing vessels is required under the amended Fisheries Code.

“We need to be firm in ensuring transparency and accountability in ocean governance if we are to eradicate the continuing plunder on our oceans and assault on our honor and integrity as a nation, apart from pushing us on the edge on the issue of food security,” Ramos said.

According to a report,  “poor oversight, weak regulations and lack of transparency make commercial fishing a vulnerable sector for illicit activity like illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, human trafficking and forced labor.”

To deter and stop illegal fishing in the Philippines, Oceana is in the forefront of a campaign to mainstream the use of  commercial fishing vessels as required by the law.

This involves installation of monitoring device that transmits location, speed and tracks in real time, either through satellite or non-satellite-based mechanism in every fishing boat over three gross tons.

“The incident in the Recto Bank may not be the last if we will continue to ignore the safeguards that legally should be in place to protect our ocean and our people,” Ramos said.

Ramos underscored the need to strengthen the monitoring and surveillance system, coupled with science-based and participatory decision-making in the newly designated 12 fisheries management areas in the country.

The sinking of the Filipino boat happened within Fisheries Management Area 5.