Director Aparri Highlights FMA 11's Milestones at 3rd FMA Summit
| by Jerian Figueroa
| March 18.2024
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In the recently concluded Fisheries Management Area (FMA) Summit, DA-BFAR 6 Regional Director and FMA 11 Management Board Chairperson, Remia A. Aparri, presented the innovations and experiences of FMA 11 leading to it being dubbed the FMA of many firsts in the country.
Among the significant learnings Director Aparri shared during the panel discussion on the Implementation of Management Plans were the crafting of the FMA 11 Management Framework, establishment of the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force Against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (RIATF-IUUF), adoption of the reference points and harvest control rules for 12 key species, the Public-Private-Community Partnership for Blue Swimming Crab, and the fully-functional FMA 11 institutions including the MB, Scientific Advisory Group (SAG), Technical Working Group (TWG), and the core team.
"Even before the FMAs were institutionalized, Visayan Sea already exhibited the characteristics of an FMA since 2017 -ย we had a management council, our own scientific advisory group, and a technical working group.ย Transitioning to FMA 11 was quite a challenge because it would mean a much bigger scope for the DA-BFAR 6 but know that we donโt have to start from scratch," narrated Director Aparri during her presentation.
Also representing FMA 11, Professor Encarnacion Emilia S. Yap shared how the FMA 11 SAG helped fuel a science-based management framework for FMA 11. While Professor Wilfredo Campos, FMA 11 MB Member, presented their work as concurrent SAG of FMA 4.
As part of the summit, stakeholders; led by DA-BFAR National Director Atty. Demosthenes R. Escoto pledged their commitment to ensure a science-based, participatory, and transparent governance of the FMAs.
"With the reports we heard today from across the sectors, tinanggap po ng ating sektor and konsepto ng FMA. And with the people around here in the room I can say that the FMA system - our system - will stay and it will be successful," said the DA-BFAR National Director in his closing message expressing hope for the future of the fisheries industry.
Meanwhile, in his synthesis, DA-BFAR 7 Regional Director Mario N. Ruinata emphasized the varied experiences of each FMA and the importance of data-driven and participatory policy-making. He added that a grandiose FMA Summit in the coming years is to be expected to reach a much wider stakeholder group and to feature the best practices that each FMA can learn from one another.
The summit, co-organized by DA-BFAR and Oceana Philippines, served as a platform for stakeholders to share their contributions and reaffirm their dedication towards the effective implementation of the FMAs, contributing to a food-secure Philippines for future generations.
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