Save our Sea

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

If there is one treasure that many of us Negrenses have taken for granted, it is the bounty of the one million hectare Visayan Sea, a body of water that environmentalists claim has the world’s largest concentration of marine life but is now being threatened by harmful and unsustainable fishing activities.

Aware of its value, the governors of Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Masbate, and Cebu have recently pledged to use their collective powers and resources to restore and conserve the marine resources of the Visayan Sea as well as take the necessary steps to seek its declaration as a United Nations World Heritage site for its unparalleled wealth, which they called the heart of marine biodiversity on earth in their declaration of commitment.

During a summit on the Visayan Sea held in Cebu on March 30, the recommended actions included giving the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources the task of determining its maximum sustainable yield, the monitoring and spot inspections of vessels, the training and deputation of fish examiners, and a 5-year moratorium on commercial fishing on the area. All of these recommendations will be tough to implement given the huge area involved and the limited resources that have been committed to this immense natural resource that is slowly and steadily being plundered by unchecked, unsustainable, and harmful fishing activities of people who mistakenly see the sea as an infinite source of bounty.

A five-year moratorium on commercial fishing may sound like a drastic move but if those 5 years of rest will allow the threatened resource to regenerate itself, the benefits could far outweigh the temporary inconveniences. If such a moratorium is to be considered, the BFAR and the provinces involved have to ensure that it is strictly followed and enforced.

If they cannot ensure 100 percent compliance of a ban on commercial fishing on one of the richest fishing grounds in the country, then they might have to settle for increased monitoring and patrolling of the fishing activities in the area. Either way the government has to ensure that something as bountiful and valuable to our way of life has to be protected because we cannot afford to lose the Visayan Sea.*