The government should tighten the implementation of laws to safeguard against overfishing to increase the country’s fish stock, AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert “Wise” T. Lee said Wednesday.

“While President Marcos said last year that he was not imposing a fishing ban, the government should fully implement existing fishery laws and regulations that would deter illegal fishing activities and the encroachment of commercial fishing vessels into municipal waters,” Lee said.

The Bicolano lawmaker issued the statement following the release of a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority, which showed a 5.2 percent decrease on the fisheries production in the country for the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the year before.

“Sa isang banda, natutuwa tayo na kahit papaano tumaas pa rin ang year-on-year agriculture output natin sa Q4 pero sa kabilang banda ay nakababahala rin na bumaba ang produksyon natin sa pangingisda,” he said.

“Kailangang paigtingin natin ang pagbabantay sa overfishing at ilegal na pangingisda dahil ito ang pangunahing dahilan ng pagbaba ng ating fish stocks. Malaki ang maiaambag ng pagsigla ng supply natin ng isda sa isinusulong natin na food security kung saan Winner Tayo Lahat,” he stressed.

Lee said the decline in fisheries production “is certainly very concerning considering that we are an archipelagic country with one of the longest coastlines in the world.”

“We are declared as the world’s center of marine biodiversity and yet our fisheries output has been consistently declining. Sabi nga ng mga kabataan, make it make sense,” he said.

“Naniniwala tayo na ang administrasyong ito ay may sapat na political will para ipatupad ang ating mga batas na pumoprotekta sa kabuhayan ng ating maliliit na mangingisda at mabawasan ang kanilang pangamba na walang maipantustos sa pangangailangan ng pamilya, lalo na sa panahon ng pagkakasakit.”

“Kabilang dito ang implementasyon ng Fisheries Code, partikular ang paglalagay ng vessel monitoring system (VMS) at electronic reporting system (ERS) sa mga commercial fishing vessels na naglalayag gamit ang bandila natin,” he added.

“Mismong ang Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources na po ang nagsabi na mandatory ang installation ng mga VMS at ERS sa lahat ng commercial fishing vessels,” he further stressed.

The latest report from the PSA showed that the 0.7 percent year-on-year increase in agriculture output in the fourth quarter of 2023 was driven mainly by improved crops, poultry, and livestock production. 

Poultry production grew by 7.8 percent accounting for 13.7 percent of the total agriculture output, while livestock posted a 2.7 percent growth. Crop production, which accounted for the majority of the total farm output at 58.7 percent, grew 0.1 percent year-on-year.