By Gerry T. Estrera
Unlike rice, which is considered a political commodity, fish are neglected in the media – except only where there is a fish kill. After all, fish are touted as “the last wild meal in the human diet.” As fish are “poor man’s source of protein,” they are not given much thought by researchers.
 But the truth is, the Philippines may soon doesn’t have enough fish to feed its growing population. For the past years, the country’s municipal and commercial catch of fish have dramatically declined.
 “We are running out of fish and running out of time. For a country known for marine biodiversity, there are very few fish left to catch,” deplored Vince Cinches, Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
 Fish provides more than half of the protein requirement of most Filipinos. “Unless we look for other sources of protein, the food intake of Filipinos will be greatly affected,” said Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, a national scientist and fisher expert.
 To solve the fish shortage, the government has to allow imported fish into the local market. “The Philippines will have to import fish sooner or later due to the declining fish catch in the country,” Secretary Proceso Alcala of the Department of Agriculture told a national daily.
 The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), a line agency of the agriculture department, reported that the population and size of small pelagic fish species such as sardines, “galunggong” (scad) and “matambaka” (ox-eye scad) “are already dwindling.”
 Roy C. Alimoane, the director of Davao-based Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center, mourned “the almost unabated plunder” of the commons – unoccupied land and waters that are shared resources for people to use – that has caused fish depletion in the country. “Like the other vital resources such as forests, Philippine fisheries are about to collapse,” he said.
 The country’s marine resources is vast – 200 million hectares of coastal and oceanic territorial water area. Dr. Edgardo Gomez, director of the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, at one time reported that “nearly all waters within 15 kilometers of shore are considered overfished.”
 “Our fishery resources are beset with problems,” confirmed a BFAR official. Fishery resources refer to inland (lakes, rivers, freshwater swamps, and fisponds), coastal, and off-shore waters.
 Overexploitation has been cited as one of the culprits why fish catch has been declining. Oceans, which are global common property resources, are open with few limitations to all takers. Vessels from wealthier countries dominate the ocean catch.
 Although fish stocks are a renewable resource, many of them are strained to the limit. “Over the years, they have suffered from a widespread notion that the seas are inexhaustible and economic pressures that have encouraged overexploitation.”
 Marine experts claim that all fishing activities depend on a fragile resource base which, if mismanaged and overexploited, can easily collapse. “Overfishing is the primary cause of dwindling fish population,” notes Peter Weber in his book, Net Loss: Fish, Jobs and the Marine Environment.
 The fishing industry reportedly employs about five percent of the country’s total labor force. Some of those involved in fishing employ illegal methods like using cyanide, dynamite and trawls.
 It’s not because of poverty that some of these fishermen resort to destructive fishing methods.  “Easy money – that’s why they go into illegal fishing,” said a source, who added that if one fisherman is making big money from his illegal activities, others follow suit.
 About 70% of all communities in the country are found along the seaside. Population pressures have been cited as another reason why fishermen harvest marine products exhaustively without even thinking for future. “If other fishermen will catch these fishes, I might as well catch them first,” said a fisherman from Sta. Cruz in Davao del Sur.
 Unfortunately, the illegal fishing methods don’t only lessen the fish population but destroy the habitats of these marine creatures. Take the case of coral reefs, the rainforests of the sea.
 While the country sits on the world’s second largest coral reef, only 1 to 2.5% of the reefs are still intact while 60% are heavily damaged. “Its destruction can greatly reduce fish production, thus endangering the fish supply in the country,” said Letecia Ramos-Shahani when she was still with the senate.
 An estimated 10-15 per cent of the total fisheries come from coral reefs. About 80-90 per cent of the income of small island communities comes from fisheries. “Coral reef fish yields range from 20 to 25 metric tons per square kilometer per year for healthy reefs,” says Dr. Angel C. Alcala, former environment secretary.
 About 40 percent of the country’s coral reefs have been obliterated by cyanide fishing. The Haribon Foundation estimated more than 4,000 cyanide-using aquarium fish gatherers in the country; another 2,000 are into live food fish collection. “These fishermen spray some 400,000 kilograms of sodium cyanide on coral reefs every year,” the International Maritime Alliance-Philippines said in a statement.
 Coral reefs have also been destroyed by dynamite fishing. Estimates vary but the minimum figure indicates that at least 10% of the more than 700,000 municipal fishermen in the country are hardcore explosive fishermen.
 Mangroves, which thrive in sheltered tidal flats, coves, bays, and river estuaries, are not spared from denudation. The current rate of mangrove deforestation ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 hectares per year, according to Dr. Guerrero.
 Mangroves are very important to marine life, Dr. Guerrero says. They serve as sanctuaries and feeding grounds for fish that nibble on detritus (fallen and decaying leaves) trapped in the vegetation, and on the bark and leaves of living trees.
 Aquaculture seems to be the answer to the fish shortage in the country. But on second thought, further pressure is placed on marine ecosystem by aquaculture’s reliance on wild stocks to supply seed.
 “Aquaculture in the Philippines will continue to improve as needs for food and livelihood opportunities are enhanced by the growing population,” points out Ramon M. Macaraig, Alson’s vice president for research and development. “The base of any aquaculture is the ability of the country to complete the production cycle in culture. Any seafood production system that relies on wild stocks cannot be sustainable.”
 Another ecological impact: the need for land and water. In the Philippines, lands usually converted into ponds are waterlogged areas and wetlands (marshes), cultivated ricelands or drylands. Water supply usually comes from irrigation canals or rainfed.
 “The conversion of ricelands to ponds is dictated by economic use of the land,” the BFAR said. “Lands converted into tilapia ponds are more profitable than ricelands as reported. But massive conversion of irrigated ricelands into tilapia ponds may affect rice production in the future.”
 In some lakes, the number of cages and other aquaculture venture exceeded the desires number. As these minimize waves and water current, eutrophication results. “When water movement is very low, supply of dissolved oxygen is affected,” the BFAR expert explained. “The bottom layers of the water can be devoid of dissolved oxygen while surface layer can be saturated.” The outcome: fish kill.
 Escapes of domesticated farmed fish into rivers, lakes, and coastal areas have become a growing risk to already decimated stock of wild fish. Yet, such escapes are not uncommon. In an article which appeared in “Worldwatch” in 1995, author Anne Platt McGinn noted: “In tropical freshwater systems, two-thirds of escaped fish species have become established.”
 Now, if aquaculture is to serve its purpose in helping avert fish shortage, these ecological issues must be fully addressed.
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