Philippine fish stocks are on the brink of collapse with 87 percent already “overfished” as illegal commercial fishers continue to exploit municipal waters, unfairly competing with municipal fisherfolk and threatening the food security and livelihood of coastal communities largely dependent on fishing.
This was pointed out by participants of the Convergence Summit for the Protection of Municipal Waters held recently.
Participants also expressed their alarm on the compounding impacts of the Malabon Regional Trial Court’s decision that declared as unconstitutional the preferential access accorded to municipal fisherfolk and the jurisdiction of local governments in the 15-kilometer municipal waters. The Supreme Court 1st Division issued a resolution last year, upholding this decision.
“Municipal waters are reserved for small-scale fishers. This is aligned with the Constitution that promotes social justice. Yet we see illegal commercial fishers blatantly violating this and outcompeting our artisanal fishers further intensifying socio-economic inequalities. This isn’t just an environmental crisis; it’s an economic and food security emergency,” said Atty. Liza Eisma-Osorio, acting vice president of Oceana.
Data from Karagatan Patrol on the detection of Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) from the apparent night lights of commercial fishing vessel will show apparent commercial fishing illegally operating inside the 15-kilometer municipal waters continues.
Oceana said this remains one of the significant threats to efforts to recover our fisheries resources from overfishing, habitat destruction, marine pollution, and coastal projects.
According to the 2017 National Stock Assessment Program report of the National Fisheries and Research Development Institute (NFRDI), about 87% of the country’s fish stocks are classified as “overfished.”
According to the briefer prepared by the Philippine Association of Marine Science (PAMS), citing the presentation of Dr. Wilfredo Campos in their forum on January 22, the average catch per fisher dropped from 5 kilograms in 2010 to 4 kilograms in 2023.
Over the past 13 years, the Philippines has lost an estimated 591,136 metric tons of fish. The quantity of fish lost during this period is sufficient to sustain 42 million Filipinos, based on an average per-capita consumption of 14 kilograms.
“This goes beyond mere statistics; it’s a crisis threatening the nation’s food security and the livelihoods of countless Filipino families,” said Osorio.
Municipal fisherfolk who are among the poorest in the country with a poverty incidence reaching 30.6% in 2021, face further hardship.
“Full implementation of our laws, particularly stopping commercial fishing inside municipal waters, is not only desirable but also essential. This requires a collaborative effort involving government agencies, scientists, and local communities to implement science-based policies that protect both the ecosystem and the livelihoods of those who depend on it,” the summit organizers stated.
In a statement, the summit organizers said that Karagatan Patrol found 860 detections of vessel lights inside municipal waters on March 2-8, 2025. This is an 18.9% increase from 723 detections recorded from the previous week, on February 23 – March 1, 2025.
A year-on-year analysis of VIIRS data further showed a 15% increase in boats detected inside municipal waters with 27,654 in 2023 to 31,843 in 2024. The hotspots among the municipalities are Zamboanga City; Cuyo, Palawan; San Pascual, Masbate; Tongkil, Sulu; Languyan, Tawi-Tawi; Pagbilao, Quezon; and Carles, Iloilo.
Osorio urges the local government officials, and other enforcement agencies to uphold their mandates to protect municipal waters and champion the interest of poor artisanal fishers and their families in coastal communities. “We are grateful that the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) has joined our call and through a recent resolution, commits to their duties to fully enforce environmental and fisheries laws,” Osorio added.
The LMP issued a resolution, dated February 10, 2025, upholding local autonomy as enshrined in Article X of the 1987 Constitution and the Local Government Code of 1991, granting municipalities the authority to manage, conserve, and protect municipal waters, ensuring ecological balance and sustainable use of marine resources. In the resolution, the league stated that the Supreme Court ruling not only disregards the rights and responsibilities of LGUs but also sets a dangerous precedent that could further erode decentralized governance and weaken LGUs’ capacity to enforce environmental and fisheries regulations.
During the summit, the stakeholders urged the BFAR, LGUs and other enforcement agencies to file criminal cases to ensure that more stringent fines and penalties under the Fisheries Code, as amended, are enforced.
In a commitment statement read to representatives of DA- BFAR and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the summit participants further urged to develop sustainable fishing programs and alternative livelihoods to help affected communities recover.
