SOCSKSARGEN Federation of Fishing and Allied Industry, Inc. in partnership with Oceans and Fisheries Partnership (USAID Oceans) organized the Tuna Stakeholders Meeting on Fisheries Improvement last November 22, 2018 at Family Country Hotel Convention Centre, General Santos City.
The meeting aims to introduce the Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative-Fisheries Improvement Tool (ASIC FIT) to the Tuna Fishery while relating this tool to the National Tuna Management Plan (NTMP). Specifically, the event objectives are as follows:
- To present the National Tuna Management Plan objectives, principles, and scope of the plan,
- To highlight the importance of tuna fisheries in the Philippines, applicable legal, policy and institutional framework, and management and enforcement measures for tuna fisheries in the Philippines;
- To promote responsible fishing practices and trade of tuna products through the development of a fisheries improvement plan;
- Present the FIP learning experiences of the Lagonoy and Mindoro Tuna Fishers and Visayan Blue Swimming Crabs;
- Help advanced the Gensan Tuna fishery improve fishing practices and management towards meeting a standard for sustainable fisheries and achieve certification using the developed fisheries improvement plan; and
- To document the activity process.
Fishery Improvement Projects or FIPs are a relatively new approach to generate and provide incentives for improvements in fisheries. This tool can allow industry stakeholders to work collaboratively to improve a fishery and FIPs are increasingly being recognized by international buyers as an interim step to certification.
The event was attended by the Municipal Tuna Handliners of GenSan and Sarangani, Commercial Tuna Handliners, Purse Seine and Ring Net Operators, Processing Sector (Canneries & Fresh Frozen), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the Local Government Unit of General Santos which represented by the City Agriculture Office, and representatives from NGO sector (Tambuyog Development Center and World Wildlife Fund).
