THE Department of Agriculture, through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), said Monday it will ask the Supreme Court to reconsider a decision against the mandatory monitoring rule for commercial fishing vessels.
The Court recently voided Fisheries Administrative Order 266, which had required monitoring and electronic catch reporting for Philippine-flagged commercial vessels.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said he is confident the high court would reverse the ruling and allow continued use of the vessel monitoring system, calling it the most effective way to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing since it relies on electronic data rather than manual filing by commercial fishing firms.
BFAR described vessel monitoring as a cornerstone of modern fisheries enforcement. Beyond tracking vessel movements, it helps authorities enforce closed seasons, verify compliance, improve catch traceability, support investigations against illegal operators, and generate data for science-based fisheries management.
The bureau added that the system is also necessary to meet international agreements and export standards for sustainable fisheries.
Rather than retreat from the policy, BFAR said it intends to reinforce it — reviewing its implementing mechanisms to ensure technical soundness in fulfilling the state’s obligation to conserve marine resources, while taking stakeholder concerns into account.
