The Philippines is losing an estimated 45 million kilos of fish every year, and unless the government takes urgent action to fully implement the Fisheries Code and hold officials accountable, the country’s fisheries could face an imminent collapse, according to a study released Monday.

The study, titled “The Philippine Fisheries Assessment: A Glimpse of RA 10654’s 10-Year Implementation,” shows a catastrophic 13-year decline in fishery production, with total losses reaching 591,136 metric tons since 2010 due to weak law enforcement and governance failures.

The report was released by international marine conservation group Oceana and launched at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

The launch gathered stakeholders from the fisheries sector, government agencies, the academe, and artisanal fishers, who discussed the worsening state of the country’s fisheries and called on authorities to reverse the decline.

Fish remains the Philippines’ primary source of protein, and the study warned that shrinking fish stocks have nationwide implications for food security.

In coastal communities, the report said the losses are already translating into generational poverty. More than 353,000 fisherfolk families fell below the poverty line in 2023, with over 93,000 classified as food-poor and unable to afford basic food requirements.

Oceana Vice President Von Hernandez urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to order an investigation and hold accountable government officials and vested interests responsible for what he described as gross neglect.

“This is a national food security emergency,” Hernandez said. “Our fisheries are being emptied, and with them, the livelihoods and food sources of millions of Filipinos.”

The study, conducted by scientists from University of the Philippines Visayas, highlighted the long-term deterioration of the fisheries sector, which has been in documented decline for the past 40 years despite the presence of comprehensive laws intended to protect and restore fish stocks.

The Fisheries Audit Report was authored by Dr. Alice Joan G. Ferrer, executive director of Too Big To Ignore Philippines and vice chancellor of UP Visayas; Dr. Wilfredo Campos, a fisheries expert and retired UP Visayas professor; and Dr. Harold Monteclaro, dean of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at UP Visayas.

Analysis in the report attributed the crisis to the weak implementation of the Fisheries Code (Republic Act No. 10654) and a lack of leadership from the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Among the study’s key findings:

• Stock collapse: 88% of fish stocks are overfished and depleted, based on the government’s 2017 National Stock Assessment Program report.

• Production plunge: Annual catch declined from 2.6 million metric tons in 2010 to 1.9 million metric tons in 2023.

• Commercial encroachment: Oceana’s Karagatan Patrol satellites detected 270,165 night lights from 2017 to 2024, indicating the presence of commercial fishing vessels in municipal waters and protected areas.

• Human cost: About 2.5 million fisherfolk and their families are affected, with nearly 15% living below the poverty line and 93,030 families classified as food-poor.

• Dying industry: The average Filipino fisher is now between 49 and 52 years old, with younger generations abandoning the trade due to monthly incomes ranging from P2,500 to P7,000.

Hernandez said that while fisherfolk provide food for the nation, they themselves are increasingly facing hunger and poverty.

“Instead of enforcing science-based recovery measures as mandated by law, DA-BFAR is peddling amendments that would let commercial fishing fleets raid municipal waters — the final refuge for our recovering stocks and small fishers,” he said.

“This is incompetence meeting greed, and it’s shrinking our fisheries and emptying people’s nets,” Hernandez added.