BFAR: China ban won’t keep fishermen from WPS
‘The Philippines will continue to fish in the West Philippine Sea because it is part of our waters within our exclusive economic zone’
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Daily Tribune‘The Philippines will continue to fish in the West Philippine Sea because it is part of our waters within our exclusive economic zone’
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FILE PHOTO: Filipino fishermen, who say they face harassment from Chinese vessels preventing them from entering prime fishing waters in the South China Sea's Scarborough Shoal which is claimed by both countries, demonstrate at a park in Manila on 24 November 2022.
Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP
Filipino fishermen will continue to fish in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) despite China’s unilateral fishing ban, which the Philippine government refuses to recognize, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) said Tuesday.
“The Philippines does not recognize China’s unilateral declaration,” BFAR spokesperson Nazario Briguera said in response to concerns about its impact on local fisheries.
China imposed an over four-month fishing ban from 1 May to 16 September in parts of the South China Sea, including in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the WPS.
“The Philippines will continue to fish in the West Philippine Sea because it is part of our waters within our exclusive economic zone,” Briguera stressed.
On the potential impact on fisheries production, Briguera said, “We do not expect the unilateral declaration by China to affect production because, fundamentally, we do not recognize this declaration.”
BFAR has not received any reports of Filipino fishermen being arrested under the new regulation.
Briguera warned that any such action by China would be considered a provocation and potential violation of international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the WPS, criticized China’s action, describing it as unreasonable. He assured that the PN is prepared with contingency plans and will support other maritime law enforcement agencies, including the Philippine Coast Guard and BFAR, amid the escalating tension.
China recently announced a new rule allowing for the detention of “foreigners trespassing in the South China Sea” for up to 60 days without trial.
Trinidad earlier denounced China’s move, saying “China is out of tune, out of set, they’re out of their minds.”
