EDITORIAL - Fighting illegal fishing

Earlier this month the government adopted a national action plan that is meant to give more teeth to the campaign against poaching in Philippine waters. An executive order signed by President Aquino on Dec. 6 said illegal, unreported and unregulated or IUU fishing undermined the sustainability of fisheries and threatened livelihood security in coastal communities.

The action plan involves a coordinated approach by several agencies to address the ecological, biological and socio-economic challenges posed by IUU fishing within the country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone. In recent years that EEZ, and even the Sulu Sea which is well within Philippine territory, have seen numerous cases of poaching. Almost all the intruders were from China. Many of the boats were found to contain endangered species such as marine turtles and even scaly anteaters or pangolins. The action plan will pave the way for heavier penalties for captured poachers.

An obvious problem here is the nation’s capability to enforce the action plan and pursue poachers amid a maritime territorial dispute with China. The Philippines, which has one of the world’s most extensive coastlines, suffers from an acute lack of vessels to patrol its waters, and aircraft to conduct reconnaissance. The existing ships often run out of fuel while pursuing poachers in the high seas.

The action plan against illegal fishing is necessary, but the government must make sure there will be sufficient resources to carry out a strong campaign against poaching. As events in recent years have shown, this is not an easy task.