Pamalakaya: Benham Rise infested with foreign poachers

MANILA, Philippines - Militant group Pamalakaya on Thursday said that Benham Rise off the provinces of Aurora and Isabela, is infested with foreign poachers.

"The fishing waters surrounding the 13-million hectare BenHam Rise is frequented by foreign large-scale industrial fishing fleets every year from January to July to fish for tuna. The government has been tolerating the tuna fishing expeditions of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan over the last five years," said Pamalakaya vice chairperson Salvador France.

Pamalakaya made the statement in reaction to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources's (BFAR) announcement that the government will construct post-harvest facilities and equipment in Isabela and Aurora in anticipation of the increase in fishery production in Benham Rise.

Benham Rise, a rich source of tuna, was confirmed by the United Nations as part of Philippine territory in April 2012.

The BFAR said that its personnel have started putting up markers around Benham Rise, which it said could be a big source of fishery for Filipinos.

It said that more than 60 fish-aggregating devices will be installed at Benham Rise starting May 30.

France, meanwhile, said it is politically and literally impossible for Benham Rise to accommodate the livelihood needs of 1.3 million Filipino fishermen.

He said that while the government is opening Benham Rise to Filipino fishermen, the fishing area is the current object of transnational poaching and resource grab of foreign large-scale factory ships from Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.

He said that Japanese, Taiwanese and South Korean industrial fleets are seen catching first rate tuna in the rise.

"The same foreign fishing vessels have even entered the municipal fishing grounds and the Philippine Coast Guard is not doing anything to stop these foreign ocean grabbers exploring the fishery resources of BenHam Rise. And now President Aquino is offering Benham Rise to small Filipino fisherfolk even if the real score at the grassroots level reveals that foreign fishing monopolies have successfully invaded BenHam Rise long before this is offer of alternative fishing ground to 1.3 million fishermen," France said.

He said that a 3,000-ton tuna factory ship, accompanied by support fishing fleets, can catch as much as 150 metric tons of tuna on a 24-hour operation. By industry standard, a single factory ship could harvest 50,000 metric tons of tuna per year.

France noted that if there are eight Japanese tuna fishing vessels that regularly poach in the waters of Aurora province daily from January to July, that means a total haul of 27,000 tons of tuna per factory ship during the period or 216,000 metric tons of tuna for all eight fishing vessels.

According to Pamalakaya’s computation, the owners of the eight fishing vessels could have earned as much as $1.274 billion or $160 million per fishing vessel in just six months from tuna poaching in Aurora and other tuna-rich waters within Philippine territory.

Benham Rise, located off the coast of Aurora province, opposite the disputed waters of South China Sea, is a 13-million hectare undersea region that has untapped potentially rich mineral and gas deposits.