The Philippines being an archipelago makes fishing and aquaculture as one of its main industries. This does not only apply to coastal communities but also in lakeshore communities and inland waterways, fishponds in brackish water and other aquatic food sources. Thus, a big portion of the population rely on aquaculture and fisheries.
What is alarming is that the value being produced has been declining since 2013 wherein it posted revenues of Php244,551,675.07 for 2013; Php241,943,849.72 for 2014 and Php239,702,373.57 for 2015.
This alarming decline was acknowledged by the relevant government agencies and that will explore various opportunities in the fisheries industry.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) conducted a meeting in Cebu that included 300 scientists, researchers, academics and government agency representatives that will be the precursor of a larger scientific confab on July 2017.
It will focus on the two-fold sustainable development goal of conservation and sustainability of the aquatic industry in the short and medium term.
This was composed of presentation of researches in fisheries and aquatic resources. Speakers include academics Rhodora Azanza and Gisela Concepcion who discussed seaweed culture and quality education for sustainable development.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was represented by Usec. Marlo Mendoza discussed clean water and sanitation is fishing while DENR biodiversity management bureau executive director Vincent Hilomen tackled climate change and fisheries.
The wholistic approach also included disaster resiliency since the aquatic industry is one of the most affected by disasters and climate change. This was presented by DOST Undersecretary for disaster risk reduction Renato Solidum.
“At the end of the two-day event, there will be a consolidation of all discussions and recommendations that will be presented to policy and decision makers for further consideration in line with the national agenda of the government towards achieving the sustainable development goals,” the DOST statement concluded.
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