Nearly 20 years since the Philippines first hosted the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Regular Session of the Scientific Committee in 2006, the country was again selected as the venue for the Scientific Committeeโs 20th Regular Meeting (SC20) from August 14 to 21, 2024 in Quezon City.
One of the subsidiary bodies of the WCPFC, the Scientific Committee ensures that the Commission has the best available scientific information where appropriate conservation and management measures are based. A fishing nation, the Philippines is a party to several regional fisheries management organizations, including the WCPFC, since 2005.
โOver the years, the Scientific Committee has been instrumental in providing evidence-based recommendations for the conservation and management of tuna and other highly migratory fish stocks in the Western and Central Pacific regions. Some of the Committeeโs work have resulted favorably in the recovery of stocks, particularly, bigeye tuna. The recommendations the esteemed members of the Committee make are important in guiding our collective efforts to ensure the long-term sustainability of these valuable resources,โ Philippine Head of Delegation and Undersecretary for Fisheries Drusila Esther E. Bayate said.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐.
The Philippines’ participation in the Scientific Committee meeting will highlight its role as a key player in the Central and Western Pacific Ocean (WCPO). In 2023, the country has produced 159, 555 metric tons, representing an eight percent increase in total catches from 147, 488 metric tons in 2022 due to improved catch rates by Philippine-flagged vessels.
It comprises seven percent of the global tuna catches and ranks 6th among the highest tuna producers in the WCPO. In the SC20, member-states, cooperating non-members, and participating territories will review the WCPO fisheries, allowing the Philippines to align its strategies with regional trends and projections on the current status and economic conditions of key fisheries in the area.
Another agenda of the SC20 is the effects of climate change on fisheries, one of the topics most critical for the Philippines, a country highly vulnerable to climate impacts.
The outcome of the discussion will help the Philippines develop adaptive strategies to mitigate adverse effects in the local fishing industry.
The Philippines is also expected to benefit from the review of the Conservation and Management Measures for key tuna species such as bigeye, yellowfin, and skipjack, essentially maintaining their populations and ensuring long-term industry viability.
The Philippine delegationโs report on fisheries data collected from High Seas Pocket No. 1 (HSP1) where the Philippines was granted access since 2012 is also included in the agenda. This report highlights stock assessments, compliance monitoring, and impact evaluations, information essential to the Scientific Committee in order to make informed decisions on HSP1.
โFor the Philippines, the outcomes of this session are of particular significance. The tuna industry is a major catalyst of economic growth and food security in our nation. As such, we are deeply interested in ensuring fair and equitable access to tuna resources,โ Usec. Bayate said.
๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ง๐๐ป๐ฎ ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
A major tuna producer, the Philippines balances sustainable tuna management with responsible resource utilization. The Philippine government, through the BFAR, implements Fisheries Observer Programs and Vessel Monitoring Systems for tuna fisheries.
Observers onboard fishing vessels collect fishing data essential to management measures and fishery law enforcement. VMS, on the other hand, uses satellite technology to provide real-time tracking of vessel locations, ensuring compliance with fishing regulations and deter illegal activities.
DA-BFAR and the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute enhanced the data collection and capacitate personnel on stock assessment through the West Pacific East Asia- Improved Tuna Monitoring Activity (WPEA-ITM).
DA-BFAR issued policies and regulations on limiting fishing days to prevent overfishing and managing fishing efforts, protection of vulnerable species to conserve biodiversity, and port state measures to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing by inspecting foreign vessels in Philippine ports.
For more information, visit the ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐ.๐๐๐๐ซ.๐๐.๐ ๐จ๐ฏ.๐ฉ๐ก and ๐ก๐ญ๐ญ๐ฉ๐ฌ://๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐ.๐ฐ๐๐ฉ๐๐.๐ข๐ง๐ญ/
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