Fish shortage?

The perceived shortage is due to: 1) government’s inadequate response to unabated fuel price hikes and 2) China’s arbitrary ban on fishing in the West Philippine Sea by Filipino municipal fishermen and some commercial vessels.

This June alone, more imported fish products will find their way to wet markets because the DA extended the validity of import certificates in view of their expected shortfall of 90,000 tons this year.

But the Pambansang Lakas ng Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said much of current fish supplies in the market are from Chinese fishing vessels that are sold in wet markets. In short, piniprito tayo sa sarili nating mantika.

In the first quarter, the DA reported a potential shortfall of 119,000 metric tons and another 90,000 tons for the rest of the year.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that fish production during Q1 2022 dropped by 0.2 percent—from 973,620 MT in Q1 2021 to 971,501 MT in Q1 this year— owing to the lower output of commercial and marine municipal fisheries.

Breakdown of fish production

The PSA showed that commercial fishers’ production dropped from 192,672 tons in Q1 2021 to 117, 165 tons in Q1 2022 while production of municipal or coastal fisheries dropped from 220,679 tons in Q1 2021 to 218,732 tons in Q1 2022.

Pamalakaya national president Fernando Hicap said the decline in fish productivity is due to the government’s lack of response to overpricing (and continued escalation) of fuel products and it “just resorts to meager subsidies.”

Oil prices have risen 11 consecutive times since January translating to a net increase of P20.35 per liter of gasoline, P30.65 per liter of diesel and P24.90 per liter of kerosene.

With fuel taking up 80 percent of fish production cost, Hicap then warned that the oil price hikes could force fisherfolk to stop fishing.

A band-aid solution drawn up by government was to grant cash aid of P3,000 to farmers and fishermen, with an initial release by the Department of Budget and Management to DA of P500,000.

Additionally, there are so-called closed fishing seasons (imposed by DA to allow the marine resources to regenerate) such as: Davao Gulf (June 1 to August 31 each year); Visayas Sea (November 15 to February 15); Sulu Sea (Dec. 1 to February 28) and Northeast Palawan (November to January)

China’s fishing ban

Hicap told Inqurer.net that the presence of Chinese vessels in WPS likewise contributed to the decline in fisheries production, causing 70 percent losses to the income of fishermen because of China’s encroachment—from P1,000 to P300 every fishing trip.

Last June 5, Hicap raised concerns over China’s annual fishing moratorium in the South China Sea (the nerve when the Philippines was granted exclusive rights to this area by the Hague) which extended to some areas in Philippine territory.

“We believe that they have no right to stay in our territory, they have no right to implement a fishing ban. Chinese fishing vessels are there and our fisherfolk cannot compete as most of them are still on traditional fishing,” he told ANC.

China’s annual fishing ban covers waters down to the 12th parallel of the South China Sea, including the Paracel Islands near Vietnam and Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal near the Philippines. In 2012 when China encroached in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, the Philippines fought and won from Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration rights over these waters.

DFA protests fishing ban

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) filed a diplomatic protest against China’s encroachment and enforcement of the 3.5 months fishing ban in the South China Sea, saying the prohibition intruded into some parts of the Philippines’ EEZ.

The DFA conveyed its protest in a diplomatic note on May 30, stressing that the moratorium, which runs from May 1 to Aug. 16, 2022, covers areas in WPS over which the Philippines has “sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.”

However, Pamalakaya challenged the Philippine government to “go beyond diplomatic protest” and mobilize local maritime authorities to ensure the safety of Filipino fishers who will venture out in WPS amid the Chinese fishing ban.

An estimated 7.2 million kilos per month of fish (or P3.5 billion for 2021) was lost by Filipino fishermen in 2022 from the encroachment and blockade by China over the West Philippine Sea, an increase almost double the catch per month deprived by China from Filipino fishers in 2021 (of 3.6 million kilos per month).

Imported fish prices

DA’s main justification for allowing importation is to tame food inflation, which is a myth as dumping imported fish in wet markets and groceries did not lead to lower fish prices. They even went up.

The prices of imported fish are: bangus P180 per kilo on June 3, 2022 versus P160 a kilo on April 4, 2022; tilapia, P120 a kilo same for June and April; local galunggong, P200 for April 4; and Indian mackerel P300 per kilo in June versus P270 a kilo for April.

Fish importation reached 60,000 tons each in the fourth quarter of 2021 and Q1 of 2022 and 38,695 tons for Q2 of 2022.

Ban Beijing destructiveness

“If there’s something that should be banned permanently in the WPS, it must be Beijing’s destructive reclamation, artificial island-building, and massive poaching activities,” Pamalakaya said.

Last year, as 220 Chinese fishing vessels were seen assembling in WPS, the group Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (Agham) said the continuous Chinese encroachment in the Philippine territory has negative implications.

Agham, which is a national alliance of science and technology professionals, said territorial disputes could lead to the collapse of the Philippine fishing industry, saying that China’s encroachment in WPS is counterproductive to national and global efforts in ending illegal and irresponsible fishing.

Last year, food security advocacy group Tugon Kabuhayan said the Philippines already lost 3.6 million kilograms of fish because of the presence of Chinese vessels in WPS. This translates to P3.5 billion worth of marine catch.

It said then that the Chinese vessels, which are estimated to be each 60 meters long with a likely capacity of 700 gross tons, are bigger than the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ (BFAR) multi-mission offshore vessels.

With the basic rule of fishing operations, Asis Perez, former BFAR director who is now a convenor of Tugon Kabuhayan, said ships catch at least 4-5 tons of fish to breakeven or recover their operational costs.

Hence, the Philippines stands to lose 7.2 million kilograms of fish products for every month that Chinese vessels force Filipinos out of WPS:

“If we look at even half the market price of this commodity today, then we are bound to lose P720 million a month,” Perez said.

He said if the area is managed well and limited only to Filipinos, it can provide more than the government’s estimate of seven percent volume catch which is equivalent to P19.1 billion.

Pamalakaya said it suspects the imported galunggong are the same ones fished in our waters hence they are “balikbayan” fish in the middle of the Chinese blockade of Filipino fishing grounds in WPS.

“By sourcing galunggong and other pelagic fish species from China, we are most likely importing fish returnees or balikbayan,” Hicap said.

Hicap said Pamalakaya is proposing “inclusive and holistic” measures to strengthen rural fish and agricultural production, including state subsidy for farmers and fishers who are beset with rising cost of production and natural calamities.

Hicap said importation will never be a solution to rising prices and low output. Small fishermen are the losers as they are forced to sell their catch at lower prices because of dumping.