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Herrera voices alarm on fate of fishing
village
HERRERA |
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Vice
Gov. Julius Caesar Herrera has voiced alarm over the
fate of Bohol 's fishing villages in the light of contemporary
challenges particularly the dwindling fishing grounds
and exploding population.
"It
has been shown that human population in the fishing
villages is growing rapidly than in other areas of the
country due to high fertility and migration," he
noted.
In
an interview after the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP)
session last Tuesday, the vice-governor warned that
this has given rise to increased demands for marine
products and for food and income.
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On
the other hand, Herrera said the fishing grounds of small-scale
fishermen are dwindling because of the invasion by commercial
fishing fleets from other provinces and islands.
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This
has prompted over-fishing and the use of illegal fishing
methods by fishermen desperate to feed their growing
families.
"As
a consequence, the gains that Bohol has made in terms
of coastal resource management initiatives are being
threatened," the vice-governor noted.
Speaking
during the Integrated Population and Coastal Resource
Management (IPOPCORM) Initiative forum last Oct. 3,
Herrera said these problems have resulted to a damaged
eco-system that yield declining marine stocks.
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Although
the coastal environmental work jointly undertaken by local
governments and NGOs have largely been successful in Bohol
, the gains are slowly being eroded by the population increase.
"The
problem is real. More fishermen are fighting over a smaller
pie," he said in an ambush interview.
Due
to their economic difficulties, fishermen form the bulk of
an increasingly malnourished and uneducated population.
"This
is a vicious cycle that rotates and evolves into a more complicated
problem every year," Herrera cautioned.
He
lauded IPOPCORM's thrust to incorporate reproductive health
in the coastal resource program which creates wider involvement
with the inclusion of women and youth groups.
"It
becomes a community undertaking of which every individual
is treated as a responsible partner thereby increasing its
chances for success," he noted.
After
six years, Herrera said IPOPCORM's strategy has attained a
degree of accomplishment.
"What
was once implemented in one coastal town in Bohol has now
reached to eight municipalities in Bohol and 24 other towns
in seven different provinces," he added.
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