The Philippine government, through the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR), hosted the 17th Regional Plan of Action (RPOA) Coordination Committee Meeting on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing on November 26 to 27, 2024, in Makati City.
The two-day event gathered leaders and delegates from 11 member countries, including Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, to advance regional efforts against IUU fishing and strengthen sustainable fisheries management.
In her welcome remarks, Agriculture Undersecretary for Fisheries Drusila Esther Bayate emphasized the event’s importance to the region. “Hosting this pivotal event after 14 years underscores the Philippines’ unwavering commitment to fostering responsible fishing practices and strengthening regional collaboration against IUU fishing,” she said, highlighting the opportunity for nations to collaborate on sustainable strategies that benefit the region’s fisheries sector.
The RPOA-IUUF was first endorsed in 2007 in Bali, Indonesia, with a mission to address the widespread issue of IUU fishing in the region. The RPOA-IUU Coordination Committee, established in 2008 during its inaugural meeting in Manila, serves as a key decision-making body providing strategic guidance and assessing the plan’s implementation progress. The committee convenes annually to review progress and
tackle emerging challenges in IUU fishing.
The 17th committee meeting includes a review of the 2024 Work Plan, the endorsement and presentation of sub-regional group reports on IUU fishing monitoring, control, and surveillance, as well as the deliberation on the development of the 2025 RPOA-IUU Work Plan. It aims to address emerging issues and accelerate the implementation of RPOA-IUU core elements, such as promoting responsible fishing and addressing illegal activities in the region.
Building on these discussions, the committee also explored innovative approaches to enhance regional cooperation, including programs that will support the RPOA-IUUF and projects from other partner organizations.
These include the SEA-IUU Fishing Program 2025, which aims to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing by strengthening monitoring systems, enhancing compliance with international standards and the Sustainable Fish Asia Technical Support (SuFiA TS) initiative, funded by USAID, that aims to addresses biodiversity threats and and unsustainable fishing practices in the Indo-Pacific. These efforts are expected to further strengthen the region’s collective ability to protect marine resources and ensure sustainability.
Meanwhile, the Philippines launched the 2nd Philippine IUU Fishing Assessment Report during the convention.
Conducted in 2023, the report provides a comprehensive assessment of DA-BFAR’s commitment to combating IUU fishing in the country. It evaluates the municipal waters of 232 local governments and commercial fishing activities in Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs) 5 and 6, with data collected between 2022 and 2023. This assessment was made possible through the joint efforts of DA-BFAR and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in implementing the Philippine IUU Fishing Index and Threat (IFIT) Tool. Developed in partnership with the USAID Fish Right Project, the IFIT Tool was first introduced by the Bureau in 2021.
At present, IUU fishing remains a threat to food security, livelihoods, and marine ecosystems. To address these issues, the Philippine government has made significant progress in its advocacy and campaign against destructive and unsustainable fishing practices in its waters.
To highlight these efforts, an exhibit was held alongside the meeting to showcase the Philippines’ innovative tools and advancements in countering IUU fishing, such as the Fisheries Sharing Hub on Investigation, Enforcement, Litigation, and Detection System (FishSHIELDS) with the support of USAID’s SIBOL, the Philippine Fisheries Observer Program (PFOP), and the Integrated Marine Environment Monitoring System (IMEMS). These initiatives have enhanced monitoring, control, and surveillance mechanisms across Philippine waters.
Concluding the meeting, the Philippines expressed its gratitude for the active engagement of all member countries and reiterated its commitment to working closely with regional partners in building a sustainable and resilient fisheries sector. #
