Greenpeace pushes ocean preservation

MANILA, Philippines - Environmentalists led by Greenpeace urged the Aquino government to enact and enforce stronger policies for the preservation of the country’s oceans.

This developed as World Ocean Day was observed yesterday. The event is a United Nations-designated celebration meant to remind the world how crucial the oceans are for human survival.

Vince Cinches, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said the Aquino administration should immediately act against the crisis of overfishing and marine ecosystem degradation by ensuring that the protection, rehabilitation and conservation of Philippine seas are national priority.

He said the government should create and implement a roadmap that eliminates overfishing and allows the recovery of the Philippine fish stocks. “This can be achieved with steps such as stronger vehicle registry systems, halting the issuance of commercial permits, and strict enforcement of the 15-kilometer zone for small-scale fishers.”

“We need a wholesale change in how we currently manage our oceans. Overfishing must end, and more areas need to be protected and interconnected. This will require concerted effort from all sectors. All Filipinos are stakeholders of the seas – we must each be part of the solution. Greenpeace is asking all Filipinos to sign up at www.defendouroceans.org to join the movement of Ocean Defenders and help protect our seas,” he added.

Marine experts joined Greenpeace in asking Filipinos to be part of efforts to revive the seas.

Perry Aliño of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute said “all stakeholders must be involved in the rehabilitation of the Philippine seas.”

“We need to strengthen our existing social and ecological networks. Government mechanisms must be set up, with concrete solutions such as increasing the number and effectiveness of marine protected areas,” he added.

The Greenpeace report “Oceans in the Balance” is an overview of the worsening crisis in the Philippine seas.

The report compiles data showing that as the country’s marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, seagrass meadows and mangrove forests are being destroyed, more and more fish are being extracted from the sea than it can sustainably provide. In short, Filipinos are not only emptying the oceans of fish but are also destroying vital habitats necessary for marine species to propagate.

“Our seas are nearing their tipping point – overfishing, destructive and illegal fishing, poaching, pollution and climate change are sucking the life out of our waters. There is a very urgent need for the government to elevate oceans protection as a matter of national priority. This needs to happen now before the country drowns in a sea of problems,” Cinches said.

The report also noted that despite the Fisheries Code of 1998, which mandates the protection of 15 percent of fishing grounds as marine protected areas, legislation seems unable to ensure the sustainability of the seas due to pervasive illegal commercial fishing activities and the encroachment of foreign fishing vessels into the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone.

Municipal fisherfolk, who are edged out by massive industrial fishing operations, are the ones who suffer most. And Greenpeace said that the high incidence of poverty in coastal fishing communities is reflective of the crisis attributed to the declining marine ecosystem and overfishing.