November 3, 2014

 

Philippines scrambling to enact a new law to stop EU ban on fish

 

 

The Philippines runs the risk of getting a "red card" from the European Union if by the end of this year it doesn't enact a tougher law against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. This means a ban on imports of fisheries products from the archipelagic nation.

 

The EU IUU Regulation, which started to be enforced in January 2010, applies to all landings and transhipments of EU and third-country fishing vessels in EU ports, and all trade of marine fishery products to and from the EU. It aims to make sure that no illegally caught fisheries products end up on the EU market.

 

IUU fishing includes fishing without a valid licence, fishing in restricted areas, targeting unauthorised species, using banned gear, not recording or communicating catch data,  and targeting undersized fish.

 

The Philippines was yellow-tagged (formally warned) by the European Commission, along with Papua New Guinea, in June 2014. The EC is expected to formally evaluate both countries next month to find out if they have complied with the fishing issues against them. Other countries that earlier got yellow cards include Panama, Fiji, Sri Lanka, Togo, Vanuatu, South Korea, Curacao and Ghana.  

 

The Philippines is scrambling to shed the yellow tag and avoid a red card (a ban on its marine and fisheries products) as its Senate is expected on Monday, November 3, to pass a bill aimed at strengthening Philippine laws against IUU fishing.

 

A ban would be detrimental to the fishing industry and the country's economic growth, according to Senate President Franklin Drilon. He noted that the local fishing industry represented 2.1% of the gross domestic product, citing a 2012 study from the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

 

Approval of the Senate bill may also result in the EC giving the Philippines more time with the final signing of a law by President Benigno Aquino III against IUU fishing, just like it had done to Korea, Ghana, and Curacao, which all received formal warnings from the Commission in November 2013. Since the three countries were deemed to be working toward addressing their shortcomings and developing the appropriate legislation, the process of dialogue and cooperation has been extended by the EC to January 2015.

 

In the case of Sri Lanka, the EC is poised to approve a ban on imports of fisheries products after four years of what the commission said was "intense dialogue with the country after which it could not demonstrate that it sufficiently addressed illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing."

 

On Oct. 14, Fiji, Panama, Togo and Vanuatu, which all received a formal warning in November 2012, got green cards after the EC announced the termination of steps against the four countries. The EU said they had taken concrete measures to address shortcomings and shown commitment to complete structural reforms aimed at stopping illegal fishing. 

 

Belize, which also received a yellow card in November 2012 and consequently a red card in March 2014, finally got a green card, with the EC proposing to lift the trade measures imposed against the country.

 

Still with the red flags are Guinea and Cambodia.

 

The Philippine Senate bill that is up for approval seeks to impose a fine ranging from PHP2.5 million (US$55,617) to PHP10 million (US$222,469) or twice the value of the catch, whichever is higher, on large-scale commercial IUU fishing.

 

For medium-scale IUU fishing, the proposed fines range from PHP250,000 (US$5,561) to PHP2 million (US$44,493), and for small-scale IUU fishing, from PHP50,000 (US$1,112) to PHP200,000 (.

 

Under the current fisheries code, the fines range from only PHP100,000 (US$2,224) to PHP500,000 (US$11,123).

 

The EU estimates the global value of IUU fishing at around EUR10 billion (US$12,524,971,663) per year.

 

It added that between 11million and 26 million tonnes of fish are caught illegally a year, or at least 15% of world catches.