The pervasive problem in the Philippines’ municipal waters of fishermen competing for good catch with commercial fishing vessels has been exacerbated by the national government’s weak and slow implementation of the vessel monitoring system (VMS). Environmental groups believe this could have addressed the issue that disproportionately impacts artisanal fishers and, ultimately, imperils the country’s food security.
In October 2020, the Department of Agriculture’s Fisheries Administrative Order (FAO) 266 took effect, making the VMS installation mandatory for CFVs weighing 3.1 gross tons and above. The vessel owners are also assigned with maritime mobile service identity numbers by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) as part of this tracking system.
“VMS requires a transponder onboard a vessel to transmit its positions and other messages regularly via satellite or shore-based stations,” Julio Amador III, a transparency consultant at Global Fishing Watch in the Philippines, explained to Rappler.