Government eyes easing of fish imports

The government is proposing the liberalization of fresh fish importations to address what it says is a possible drop in local fish stocks due to overfishing.

The proposal, contained in draft amendments to fishery trade regulations, has elicited protests from local fishers who fear that allowing imported fresh fish to be sold in public wet markets would squeeze them out of business.

Current regulations allow only frozen and chilled fish products to enter Philippine markets.

Under the amendments being mulled by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), an agency under the Department of Agriculture, imported fresh fish may also be sold in public wet markets.

According to BFAR Assistant Director Benjamin Tabios the idea is to “liberalize to a certain degree” the fisheries sector  in anticipation of a reduction in fish caught in Philippine waters.

He also said the liberalization move would complement the country’s fish conservation thrusts.

The agency’s findings on national fish stocks showed that the country should reduce fishing activities in certain areas to allow fish species to breed and mature.

‘Exploited’ areas

According to the national stock assessment program of BFAR, of 13 fishing grounds that had been mapped in the country, 10 areas are “very heavily exploited.”  These areas have over 70 fishermen per square kilometer.

Since the agency would want to lessen fishing activities in certain areas in the future, it expects a reduction in the catches. Tabios said this would be disadvantageous to consumers and manufacturers of fish products.

“We have to balance the interest of consumers and fisherfolk,” he explained.

Tabios said the proposed new rules would be open to the scrutiny of fishers’ groups, acknowledging their fears about competition from cheaper foreign imports.

“The importation should not affect them adversely,” Tabios said in a phone interview.

But fishers’ organizations are already up in arms over the proposed new regulations.

“This is a declaration of war,” Pamalakaya spokesperson Gerry Albert Corpuz said. The ones who will suffer from this are the small fish producers, whose catches end up in the local wet markets, he said.