Following the trainings and series of activities for Community Development Officers (CDOs), Local Government Units, and Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in a move to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, the BFAR 5 through the Fisheries Management Regulatory and Enforcement Division (FMRED) conducted a 3-day IUU Fishing and Threat Assessment Tool (I-FIT) Clustered Roll-out and Reduction Planning Workshop for the Province of Sorsogon on April 16-19, 2024, in Sorsogon City.
The participating LGUs in the clustered roll-out were the LGUs of Pilar, Bulan, and Sorsogon City. The participants were composed of the LGU’s IUUF Enforcement Team, which includes Municipal Agriculturist, AT Fisheries, PNP, PCG, Bantay Dagat, MFARMC, and fisheries organizations.
An introduction to I-FIT, and the assessment and scoring in the IUU Fishing and Threat assessment Tool was discussed. The activity used the Municipal Fisheries Profile of Bulan, Pilar, and Sorsogon City for 2022 to provide the necessary data and reports for the assessment. The BFAR I-FIT Core group facilitated the activity where the teams engaged in an in-depth discussions, critically analyzing the IUU fishing operations recorded in their respective municipal waters.
The workshop involved completion of the I-FIT forms followed by a reduction plan session after acquiring a comprehensive assessment report.
Participants also presented the results of the assessment, as well as the outlined programs and interventions, as a battle plan for the identified IUU fishing activities in their local waters.
LGUs were also able to provide proposals and considerations in support to combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in the province.
The meeting provided a platform for participants to engage in interactive discussions aimed at resolving raised issues and concerns. After the assessment, the LGUs will utilize the findings to formulate municipal regulations and ordinances to enhance their municipal fisheries resources and support fishing communities.
As a next step, BFAR 5 will soon roll-out the I-FIT initiative in collaboration with the municipalities of Donsol, Juban, and Matnog.