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BFAR, USAID join hands against IUU fishing

Vivienne Angeles (VA)

In celebration of International Day for the Fight against Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) Fishing, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) assured continued efforts to combat IUU in the Philippine waters.

In a ceremony on Wednesday at the Novo Manila Araneta City, the Bureau and Agency launched the Fisheries Sharing Hub on Investigation, Enforcement, Litigation and Detection System, which will serve as a platform for the operationalization of enforcement responses to IUU fishing incidents and reports.

This will also give fishery law enforcers digital tools to address illegal activities in the country’s waters.

Also presented at the event were the key findings of the country’s IUU Fishing Report last year, derived from the Philippine IUU Fishing Index and Threat Assessment Toolkit, a USAID project code eloped with BFAR.