Save the Philippine
Seas before it’s too late – Greenpeace
By GREENPEACE
June 7, 2013
MANILA – “Save the
Philippine seas now – before it’s too late,” Greenpeace, marine
experts and fisherfolk made the call today as they renewed their
demand for the Philippine government to enact and enforce stronger
policies to preserve the country’s oceans. The groups also urged all
Filipinos to be part of efforts to revive the seas. The call came on
the eve of World Oceans Day, the UN-designated celebration meant to
remind the world about how crucial the oceans are for our survival.
This year’s theme is “Together we have the power to protect the
ocean!”
"All stakeholders must be
involved in the rehabilitation of the Philippine seas,” said Dr. Perry
Aliño, of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute.
“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 (MPAs).”
The report Oceans in the
Balance is an overview of the worsening crisis in the Philippine seas.
The report compiles data which show that as the country’s marine
ecosystems such as coral reefs, seagrass meadows and mangrove forests
are being destroyed, we are extracting more and more fish from the sea
than it can sustainably provide. In short, we are not only emptying
the oceans of fish, but we are also destroying vital habitats
necessary for marine species to propagate.
“We are killing the goose
that lays the golden eggs,” said Vince Cinches, Oceans Campaigner for
Greenpeace Southeast Asia. “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.”
The report notes that
despite the Fisheries Code of 1998, which mandates the protection of
15% of fishing grounds as marine protected areas, legislation seems
unable to ensure the sustainability of our seas due to pervasive
illegal commercial fishing activities and the encroachment of foreign
fishing vessels into the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone.
Small municipal fisherfolk
who are edged out by massive industrial fishing operations are the one
who suffer the most. Greenpeace says that the high incidence of
poverty in coastal fishing communities is reflective of the crisis
attributed to the declining marine ecosystem and overfishing.
“There are around two
million Filipino fishers who are heavily dependent on the sea,” said
Maricel Gacela of Samahan ng mga Maliliit na Mangingisda sa Calatagan
(SAMMACA). “We all have nothing to fish and nothing to feed our
families. With a net income of only 250 Pesos a day, most fisherfolk
end up in debt. Commercial fishing vessels take all the fish,
sometimes from municipal fishing grounds, leaving us with very little
fish to catch and barely enough money to cover gasoline costs for
going out to sea.”
The report is intended as a
call to action to address the two-pronged crisis of marine degradation
and overfishing. Along with a broad range of stakeholders, Greenpeace
is calling on the Aquino administration to immediately act against the
crisis of overfishing and marine ecosystem degradation by:
1. Ensuring that the
protection, rehabilitation, and conservation of Philippine seas are a
national priority (such by improving MPA management and establishing a
national network of marine reserves); and
2. Creating and immediately
implementing 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,” said Cinches. “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 signing up at
www.defendouroceans.org to join the movement of Ocean Defenders and
help protect our seas.”