Limiting commercial fishing and protecting coastal habitats are among the climate-resilient measures that government could adapt to protect maritime resources and fisherfolk, the Philippines activist fishers’ group Pamalakaya said.
In a statement, Pamalakaya said the measures were among those they presented to Ian Fry — United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change — during a dialogue.
The group said it is important for the government to prohibit destructive activities in coastal areas and to push for fisherfolk’s exclusive rights and access to municipal waters up to 15 kilometers from shore.
Pamalakaya said there are around 100 reclamation projects in the Philippines — many of them in Manila Bay — that affect around 30,000 hectares of fishing waters.
Government should prohibit large-scale commercial fishing vessels supposedly doing destructive fishing methods, the group also said.
It also called on government hold to account firms that have damaged the marine environment and have degraded marine resources.
“This should come in a form of regular and sufficient subsidies to fisherfolk who continue to bear the brunt of the degraded environment and ecosystem, and a long-term rehabilitation and restoration plan.”
The group also called for justice for fisherfolk and advocates who they said have been victims of rights violations, including nine killings that happened during the Duterte administration.
“All cases were related to advocacies in protecting the marine environment and advancing fishing rights,” said Pamalakaya.
The fishers’ group met with Fry to contribute to a report that it hopes “would prompt the Marcos Jr. administration to undertake concrete actions to address the climate crisis.”
During his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said the fisheries code must be revised to incorporate and strengthen science-based analysis and to identify fishing areas.