China's maritime policy won't affect West Philippine Sea fish catch — BFAR

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) downplayed China’s “maritime regulation,” saying it would not affect fish catch in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“First and foremost, the Philippines does not recognize this unilateral declaration of China. The Philippines would continue fishing [in the West Philippine Sea],” BFAR spokesman Nazario Briguera said at a press briefing Tuesday.

“We do not see the unilateral declaration of China will actually create impact in terms of production because first and foremost we do not recognize this declaration,” he added.

Briguera revealed BFAR has not yet received any reports of Chinese detaining Filipino fisherman since the start of the regulation’s enforcement.

“And if they are going to detain Filipino fishermen then it would be another provocation on the part of China that can be considered as a violation of international laws.

Despite rising tensions with China, the Philippines expanded its fish catch in the WPS last year to a four-year high of over 200,000 metric tons on the back of higher state support for fishermen.

Citing Philippine Statistics Authority data, the BFAR earlier said the country’s fisheries output in the WPS in 2023 reached 201,894.49 metric tons, almost 15 percent more than the 175,784.73 MT recorded in 2022.

Fish catch from the WPS accounts for about 7% of the country’s annual fish supply for food consumption. — Jasper Emmanuel Arcalas