Giant Japanese fishing fleets to cause more marine resource depletion than poachers
Clemente Bautista, Jr.
September 18, 2007
Even as it acknowledged efforts by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to curb foreign poaching in Philippine waters, an environmental watchdog group today warned that such initiatives would only be in vain if giant Japanese poachers would later on be allowed access through the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
In a statement, Kalikasan-Peoples Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) National Coordinator Clemente Bautista, Jr. said that "the threats of projected marine resource depletion under JPEPA could dwarf the volume of marine species lost to poaching".
"The anti-poaching initiative will be useless if "legalized" poachers under bilateral trade agreements are allowed access to Philippine seas. Sec. Atienza might end up cordoning Philippine waters away from poachers but unwittingly securing it instead for giant Japanese fishing fleets if the JPEPA is ratified by the Senate," Bautista said.
"At the very least, the Philippine fishing industry stands to lose billions of pesos in gross profits and thousands of metric tons of tuna reserves to "legalized" Japanese poachers under the JPEPA," Bautista said.
Militant fisherfolk group Pamalakaya previously disclosed that a single-sized 3,000-metric ton Japanese factory ship, accompanied by support fleet, could capture a minimum of 150 metric tons of frozen tuna per day once in Philippine waters, or around 50,000 metric tons of frozen tuna per year. If a Japanese commercial fishing company deploys four factory ships to fish in Philippine waters, the combined catch would be 200,000 metric tons a year, Pamalakaya said.
"It's possible that massive depletion of fishing areas will occur because there was no quota or maximum annual catch set anywhere in JPEPA," Bautista noted.
Bautista also pointed out that the waters most often riddled by poaching were the same areas being eyed by the Japanese commercial fishing interests.
"The areas in the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) being targeted by Japan's commercial fishing includes the Philippine Sea (eastern part of the Philippines) which runs from Batanes down to Davao, the Celebes/Sulu Sea and the South China Sea (western part of Palawan), which are regularly poached by Taiwan, China, Indonesia and Vietnam's fishing vessels as indicated by several reported apprehensions of their fishing vessels," Bautista said.
Sec. Atienza said he would be meeting with the missions of China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Japan on the issue of poaching.
Bautista also called on the Senate to "investigate the clauses in the JPEPA pertaining to the fishing industry".
"Our solons should also take a good look at provisions which are definitely unconstitutional and biased towards Japanese interests with regards to the issue of the Philippine fishing industry. They will find further concrete basis to junk the JPEPA for good," Bautista said.
In a statement, Kalikasan-Peoples Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE) National Coordinator Clemente Bautista, Jr. said that "the threats of projected marine resource depletion under JPEPA could dwarf the volume of marine species lost to poaching".
"The anti-poaching initiative will be useless if "legalized" poachers under bilateral trade agreements are allowed access to Philippine seas. Sec. Atienza might end up cordoning Philippine waters away from poachers but unwittingly securing it instead for giant Japanese fishing fleets if the JPEPA is ratified by the Senate," Bautista said.
"At the very least, the Philippine fishing industry stands to lose billions of pesos in gross profits and thousands of metric tons of tuna reserves to "legalized" Japanese poachers under the JPEPA," Bautista said.
Militant fisherfolk group Pamalakaya previously disclosed that a single-sized 3,000-metric ton Japanese factory ship, accompanied by support fleet, could capture a minimum of 150 metric tons of frozen tuna per day once in Philippine waters, or around 50,000 metric tons of frozen tuna per year. If a Japanese commercial fishing company deploys four factory ships to fish in Philippine waters, the combined catch would be 200,000 metric tons a year, Pamalakaya said.
"It's possible that massive depletion of fishing areas will occur because there was no quota or maximum annual catch set anywhere in JPEPA," Bautista noted.
Bautista also pointed out that the waters most often riddled by poaching were the same areas being eyed by the Japanese commercial fishing interests.
"The areas in the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) being targeted by Japan's commercial fishing includes the Philippine Sea (eastern part of the Philippines) which runs from Batanes down to Davao, the Celebes/Sulu Sea and the South China Sea (western part of Palawan), which are regularly poached by Taiwan, China, Indonesia and Vietnam's fishing vessels as indicated by several reported apprehensions of their fishing vessels," Bautista said.
Sec. Atienza said he would be meeting with the missions of China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Japan on the issue of poaching.
Bautista also called on the Senate to "investigate the clauses in the JPEPA pertaining to the fishing industry".
"Our solons should also take a good look at provisions which are definitely unconstitutional and biased towards Japanese interests with regards to the issue of the Philippine fishing industry. They will find further concrete basis to junk the JPEPA for good," Bautista said.
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