The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) stated on Saturday that if Chinese invasions had not occurred, Filipino fishermen may have harvested more fish in the West Philippine Sea.
According to BFAR spokesperson Naz Briguera, the West Philippine Sea would contribute 6% of the country’s overall fisheries production by 2022. With commercial and local fishing productivity combined, this equates to 275,872 metric tons.
This came from the regions bordering the disputed waterways, namely the Ilocos Region, Mimaropa, and Central Luzon.
“Posible ba na tumaas ang production ng [West Philippine Sea] kung wala ang mga isyung ito na nangyayari doon? I would say ‘yes’, kung ano man iyong mga hindering factors na nangyayari ngayon at kapag nawala ito ay mangangahulugan ito na mas malilinang natin ang yaman ng West Philippine Sea,” Briguera said in a media forum in Quezon City.
However, the official emphasized that previous typhoons in recent months also contributed to the low-single-digit result.
He went on to say that the country has yet to optimize resources in the territorial waters of dispute “in a sustainable manner.”
“We are not downplaying na hindi malaki ang significance ng West Philippine Sea sa ating overall fisheries production and in terms of food security,” he said.
“That’s why ang BFAR po ay nandoon sa interes na kailangang likas-kaya nating pakinabangan ang ating kayamanan sa West Philippine Sea.”
Chinese incursions limit Filipino fishers’ catch in West PH Sea
According to the organization, there were 376,733 fishermen in the West Philippine Sea as of January of this year.
Under Duterte’s presidency, Filipino fishermen were stopped by the Chinese Coast Guard near Pag-asa Island in 2021. Pag-asa Island is the largest of the Kalayaan Island Group and serves as the seat of the Municipality of Kalayaan in the Province of Palawan.
Local officials advised the fishermen to avoid their sandbar fishing locations for the time being, despite their desire to establish their rights there.
China and the Philippines are at odds over the South China Sea, with Beijing claiming sovereignty over almost the entire area despite an international court ruling that its claims have no legal basis.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have overlapping claims to parts of the sea, and Manila ordered its military last month to boost its presence in the contested waters after a report that China had started reclaiming several unoccupied land features around the Spratly Islands.
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