Amid the ongoing disputes across the South China Sea, scientists from five countries have rung the alarm bell on the negative impacts of having lack of fisheries management cooperation among neighboring countries as they stressed the need to protect vital fish stocks from the “risk of collapse.”During the event dubbed “Landmark five-country analysis of South China Sea fish stocks” in Manila on Friday, Sept.
“The current fishing levels of adult Skipjack Tuna are probably sustainable in most parts of the South China Sea,” the policy brief accompanying the report concluded.“Throughout the South China Sea, there is increasing use of fishing equipment that can catch juvenile Skipjack Tuna. If left unmanaged, this could result in too many juveniles being caught before they can breed, which would result in a rapid decline of the population,” it stated.
“A single fish can breed in the waters of one country, feed in a second country, and be caught in a third country. By working together, we can achieve more than any country working alone,” said Dr. Mudjekeewis Santos, a CFRA participant from the Philippines National Fisheries Research and Development Institute.