Launch of Mindoro Strait Tuna Fisheries Management Plan Promises Sustainable Future for MIMAROPA Fisheries
May 2019
Newly-inaugurated Regional Fisherfolk Director Bernard Mayo stands with representatives from WWF-Philippines, BFAR and the Regional Council of Leaders at the launch of the Mindoro Strait Tuna Fisheries Management Plan. Photograph © Alo Lantin / WWF-Philippines
May 2, 2019 saw the launch of the Mindoro Strait Tuna Fisheries Management Plan at the Regional Headquarters of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro to an audience of fishery association leaders and government and private partners. Present at the launch were representatives from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines, who helped developed the plan.
A fisherman hauls his catch ashore. The Mindoro Strait Tuna Fisheries Management Plan looks to address issues of livelihood, sustainability, and fisheries management in the province of Occidental Mindoro. Photograph © Gregg Yan / WWF-Philippines
WWF-Philippines’ Sustainable Tuna Partnership (STP) team has been working on the development of the Mindoro Strait Tuna Fisheries Management Plan in close collaboration with DTI, BFAR, and the Provincial Government since 2016. Draft work began with the endorsement of the Integrated Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Councils (IFARMCs), the recommendatory body in charge of managing fisheries.
Acting as secretariat for the IFARMCs, WWF-Philippines met regularly with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the provincial government in a technical working group established by Gov. Mario Gene J. Mendiolo, Governor of Occidental Mindoro, with the issuance of Executive Order No. 18-04-18 series of 2018. This was to align the Mindoro Strait Tuna Fisheries Management Plan with the Occidental Mindoro Tuna Roadmap. Regional studies and consultations between local fishers, tuna traders, local entities, and relevant concerned agencies and authorities eventually led to the completion of the plan in 2019.
“The Mindoro Strait Tuna Fisheries Management Plan is essential in making sure that we do not stray from the path that we have set,” said Joann Binondo, WWF-Philippines Sustainable Tuna Project Manager. The plan was written to allow concerned stakeholders to address the various issues confronting tuna fisheries. Issues regarding the sustainability of tuna stocks and the livelihood of fishermen in the region, as well as the governance of fisheries, were addressed by the plan in a bid for sustainability in Occidental Mindoro. The plan calls for a sustainable level of tuna production by the year 2022.
“This plan has set a roadmap that will serve us for years to come,” continues Binondo.
A fishing vessel sails against the sunset in Mamburao, Mindoro. The sustainability of fisheries in Region 10 are now more secure with the signing of the Local Tuna Management Plan. Photograph © Gregg Yan / WWF-Philippines
The plan was presented during the oath-taking of fisherman Bernard Mayo as the Regional Fisherfolk Director of MIMAROPA for the Month of May, who presented it to the BFAR Regional Office. Mayo, a tuna fisherman based in Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro, has been a partner of the WWF-Philippines’ Sustainable Tuna Partnership (STP) project for the past 8 years.
With the passing of the regional plan, the foundations for sustainable fisheries in Occidental Mindoro have finally been set.
For more information on the Sustainable Tuna Partnership program, please email STP Director Ms. Joann Binondo at jbinondo@wwf.org.ph.
