Senator seeks review of tuna conservation, management plan

FILE: Sen. Cynthia Villar (Photo: Cynthia Villar/Facebook)

MANILA —  A senator on Friday has called for a review of the draft plan and various inputs and recommendations of industry players on the National Tuna Management Plan.

Senator Cynthia Villar made this statement following a warning by experts that Philippine seas would become “virtual deserts” by 2050 due to overfishing.

Moreover, the 2010 Census of Marine Life also says 90 percent of the large fish are already depleted due to overfishing.

“We would like to avoid the dreaded scenario of our oceans turning into virtual deserts by 2050,” Villar, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, said in a press statement.

This way, Villar said that the government could also promote the effective conservation, management and equitable use of tuna resources in the Philippines for its sustainable development.

Villar said sustainability is the most important considerations in all our efforts and actions for the further growth, development, and future of the tuna industry.

She added that it is “common interest” to make sure that there is continuous fishing which would only be possible if all forms of activities that jeopardize the sustainability of resources are prevented.

“We have to always bear in mind that our resources are not unlimited, as such, we have to sustain them,” Villar said.

Moreover, she noted that the tuna industry has a “promising future potential” because it remains a top export commodity of the country.

 (PNA)