MANILA: The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) on Wednesday launched the Fisheries Sharing Hub on Investigation, Enforcement, Litigation, and Detection System (FishSHIELDS) to combat illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing (IUUF).
FishSHIELDS equips enforcers with digital tools that will help them identify, prevent and apprehend cases of IUUF and other violations within Philippine waters.
The new fishery enforcement tool was developed in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of BFAR’s efforts to preserve the wealth of the country’s seas for food security.
In an ambush interview, BFAR spokesperson Nazario Briguera said the FishSHIELDS is an offline mobile application that may resemble a 911 hotline to ensure swift response against IUU fishing.
‘Hindi siya kailangan online, offline siya, pwedeng maibato. And then matatanggap ng isang personnel o law enforcer. And then from there magkakaroon ng (It does not need to be online, it can be sent off
line. And then it will be received by a personnel or law enforcer. And from there, there will be a) coordination in the local government units (LGUs) to have real-time response,’ he said.
He said the new tool reinforces the earlier-launched I-FIT (Index and Threat Assessment tool) that enhanced monitoring within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
“Iyong I-FIT, iyan iyong diagnosis mechanism, gaano kalawak iyong illegal, unreported, fishing sa isang lugar. At iyong FishSHIELDS, ito iyong response system na paano natin bibigyan ng tugon iyong illegal fishing sa isang lugar (IFIT is the diagnosis mechanism, how massive is the illegal, unreported fishing in an area. While the FishSHIELDS is a response system on how we will respond to the illegal fishing in an area),’ he said.
Based on the Philippine IUU Fishing Report, the country’s I-FIT score improved from 2.58 percent of the 160 participating LGUs in 2021, down to 2.36 percent of 395 assessed LGUs in 2023, which is considered a mid-range score for
risk and vulnerability against IUUF.
This covered all 12 Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs), with FMAs 5, 8, and 6 having the most numbers of participating LGUs. Both FMAs 5 and 6 are within the West Philippine Sea.
‘Ang bad situation diyan is, I think, nasa 4 percent or 5 percent. So, nasa middle tayo doon sa 395 na iyon (The bad situation, I think would be 4 to 5 percent. So, we are in the middle for that 395 [LGUs]),’ Nazario said.
He said the most common case of IUUF is the intrusion of commercial fishing vessels in municipal waters, while the frequently used illegal commercial fishing gear include Danish seine, triple net, and superlights, among others.
From 2022 to 2023, the Philippines incurred PHP5.35 billion worth of loss, or an estimated 107,020 metric tons of fish caught via IUUF.
Source: Philippines News Agency