THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Tuesday that its proposed amendments to the Fisheries Code will include border controls to ensure the safety of imported fish.
“Wala sa Fisheries Code ang pre-border controls (the Fisheries Code is silent on pre-border controls), which are very necessary to ensure food safety of the imported fish that get into our country,” Undersecretary Mercedita A. Sombilla said during the Post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) goverment briefings.
“There’s a need to establish offices that would ensure that imported fish are really safe to enter our country,” she said.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., who also serves as his own Secretary of Agriculture, asked Congress during his 2nd SONA to pass new amendments to the Fisheries Code.
“Our Fisheries Code must be revised to incorporate and strengthen science-based analysis and determination of fishing areas. This approach will protect both the interests of our fisherfolk and our fisheries and aquatic resources,” he said.
“To this end, we will seek the support of Congress to amend the Code to guarantee sustainable development of our fisheries sector in harmony with environmental balance,” he added.
Republic Act No. 10654 or the Amended Fisheries Code of the Philippines has been recently amended to address illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUUF).
Ms. Sombilla said that the proposed revisions also include adding a section that will require fisheries management to be conducted with an eye towards enhancing the ecosystem.
She also said the DA is proposing to redraw the limits for fishing in municipal waters.
“As of now, even catches of three tons and above are allowed. I think we need to control, limit or totally eliminate (such catches), she said, adding that if left unchecked, municipal waters risk being destroyed.
Under the proposed amendments, the DA will also seek to improve the tracking of catches to arrive at better supply-demand estimates.
“I think the information that we need here is real-time supply and demand. I think our information is still not on a real time basis,” she said. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera
