RP has 15 endangered fishery, aquatic species

By Maricar M. Calubiran
Correspondent

The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) in the Philippines has identified 15 species of international concern in last week's Regional Technical Consultation on Stock Enhancement of Species Under International Concern.

The species included in the list of international concern are River mullet or ludong, Taal Lake sardine (tawilis), Bikol goby (sinarapan), walking catfish (pantat), climbing perch (martiniko), Pigek, Sea Catfish, Giant clams, sea cucumber, sea urchin, abalone, top shell, window-pane oyster, coconut crab and humphead wrasse.

The consultation is the initial activity for the five-year Japanese Trust Fund Program on Research and Development (R&D) on Stock Enhancement for Species Under International Concern. It aims to enhance aquatic species that are considered threatened or depleted.

The Philippines is only one of the eight countries which presented their papers during the consultation. There are 11 SEAFDEC member countries. The member countries are Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The member countries have identified the endangered species in their respective countries including their fisheries and biology, aquatic resources management and national restocking or stock enhancement program.

In last week's consultation, Suriyan Vitchitlekarn, planning and program officer of the SEAFDEC secretariat urged the member countries to rectify their fishery practice by improving the existing fisheries management policy, framework and practices. The consultation was attended by SEAFDEC member countries, representatives from different institutions and agencies involved in stock enhancement such as the Deakin University of Australia, Fishery Research Agency (FRA) of Japan, Fisheries Resource Management Project (FRMP) of the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and German Development Services.

Vitchitlekarn likewise presented the ASEAN-SEAFDEC directives relative to the species under international concern. It was based on the resolution and action plan adopted during the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Millennium Conference on Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security in the New Millennium: Fish for the People in 2001.

Vitchitlekarn also stressed the need to monitor issues and species which includes turtles, sharks, sea cucumbers, humphead wrasse and sea horse. He also presented trade species and conservation issues that include hawksbill, sharks and sea cucumbers.

During the presentation, it was noted that the member countries “carry out restocking in natural waters.” And yet, their efforts were aimed to increase catch of food species rather than conservation or rehabilitation of threatened species. It was noticed that the activities in coastal and marine waters have largely limited to enhance the environment such as mangrove rehabilitation or installation of artificial reefs. Further, they also figured out that there is no effort at the national level to carefully identify the species or strain to be released. No action was also taken to monitor and assess the cost and benefit of stocking.