Tolosa: Fishery school Visayas State University (VSU) satellite campus in Tolosa, Leyte, has joined government agencies and several groups in opposing the Supreme Court (SC) decision allowing commercial vessels to operate within the 15-kilometer municipal waters previously intended for small-scale fishermen.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Faculty of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences of the VSU Tolosa campus expressed concerns that the ruling 'poses a serious threat to the coastal ecosystems and the communities that depend on the resources therein.' The school is advocating for the maintenance of the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act (RA) 8550, known as The Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998, as amended by RA 10654, which aims to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing by prohibiting commercial fishing vessels in municipal waters.
The school highlighted that allowing commercial fishing activities in municipal waters would add immense pressure, further intensifying overfishing and damaging marine ecosystems that are already under strain. Most commercial fishers in the country utilize active gears such as trawl, Danish seine, purse seine, and ring net, which are highly efficient but associated with negative biological and environmental impacts.
The VSU campus also emphasized that the entry of commercial vessels would threaten the livelihood of small-scale fishers who heavily rely on municipal waters for their daily sustenance, potentially affecting all stakeholders in the chain. Such a move would jeopardize both the coastal environment and the people dependent on it, particularly artisanal or small-scale fishers.
Last month, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agency, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), sought the reversal of a High Court decision that allowed commercial fishing in municipal waters. The BFAR's motion was in response to the SC's First Division ruling affirming a Malabon Regional Trial Court decision in favor of Mercidar Fishing Corp.'s petition to operate in municipal waters.
The VSU-Tolosa Campus, located in the coastal town of Tolosa, was established on September 11, 1971, and was formerly named Daniel Z. Romualdez Memorial School of Fisheries. It aims to spearhead the region's socio-economic development through relevant fishery instruction, research, extension, and production, leading to the proper utilization and management of fishery resources.