President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to conduct comprehensive studies on the restoration and maintenance of the country's marine habitats to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUUF) fishing, Malacañang said on Tuesday.
Anti-illegal fishing operation, with Ozamiz Maritime Police spotted at BFAR-10
According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Marcos Jr., who is also the Secretary of Agriculture, stressed during a meeting on June 13 that the country must abide by its international obligations, particularly to the European Union, to prevent IUUF.
According to the PCO, the President also stressed the importance of addressing the concerns of fisheries stakeholders by adopting a science-based approach to marine resource management.
“This mandated the DA and the BFAR to work closely with the Office of the Executive Secretary to formulate necessary regulations for the implementation of Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) No. 266, series of 2020, which requires commercial fishing vessels (CFVs) to install Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS),” the government’s lead communications department said in a press release.
