Depleted fish stocks? Look South!

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. just came out with alarming news that our fish population is depleted. I think he was referring to the wild fish in our Philippine seas. It is worrisome too because he has not even hinted at his plans to address the problem. But given the penchant of the bright boys in Malacañang to take the easy route it is not far-fetched that Laurel will recommend importation and lowering the tariff.

I hope I am wrong. Secretary Laurel gave big assurances farmers and fishermen would have government support under his term. By the looks of it, however, his plans are being undermined by other Cabinet members and politicians whose solutions present major problems to achieving the stability and sustainability of food supplies in the country.

Laurel comes from a family that made it big in the corporate fishing industry, owning the biggest tuna fleet in the world, I was told. Tuna is among the fish species being depleted.

The government is not up to the task. Someone who begs not to be identified suggests that Laurel should look at the potential of our municipal waters where our traditional fishermen operate.

My source, who is into fishing, said there is so much fish in our municipal waters but the fisherfolk do not have the right gear. He suggests that the government through the DA provide fishermen access to cheap loans to acquire the necessary equipment, including boats equipped with cold storage facilities. He revealed that a big percentage of fish are spoiled due to a lack of cold storage.

Where I am today in Washington state, I found out that a huge volume of the fish sold in supermarkets is not from the wild but from fish “farms.” Sarangani bangus and tilapia are sold in many US states, too. A popular destination for Filipinos and other Asians here is the Seafood Market in Tukwila. Processed and fresh bangus, tilapia (I like the pink ones as they taste better), maya-maya and lapu-lapu! They even sell panga!

The statement of Secretary Laurel brings me to a related topic. About a year ago, Davao del Norte 2nd District Representative Alan Dujali authored a bill calling for the establishment of hatcheries for various species of fish that would be the source of fingerlings for mariculture projects in the Davao region. The Lower House passed the bill and elevated it to the Senate where the area and number of hatcheries were expanded. That important piece of legislation, I think, is now moored in the Office of the President for nothing has been heard of it.

Maybe Secretary Laurel can dig it up from the files. It’s time we looked at our vital resources and capabilities. Our coastline is among the longest in the world and much of it is protected from destructive tidal waves. It has a big potential for fish farms.

Here are some thoughts from Doming Ang, chairman of Philexport 11: “Allow the free importation of fish but impose a tariff. Use at least P10 billion of the tariff to support the poor fisherfolk and for infrastructure and working capital. This way we will reduce inflation ASAP. This is the magic bullet from my 50 years of experience in the fishing industry.”

Well, coming from someone who grew up in the industry, just like Laurel, that makes a lot of sense but let’s not make importation a habit. There is so much to learn from the Alcantara marine culture enterprise in Sarangani that floods every supermarket in the Philippines and — believe it or not — the USA.