Republic Act

No. 8550
“The Philippine Fisheries
Code of 1998”
• To achieve food security
• To limit access to the fishery and aquatic resources
• To ensure the rational and sustainable development, of
the fishery and aquatic resources
• To protect the rights of fisherfolk, especially of the local
communities with priority to municipal fisherfolk
• To provide support to the fishery sector

State Policy
• Conservation, protection and sustained management of
the country's fishery and aquatic resources;
• Poverty alleviation and the provision of supplementary
livelihood among municipal fisherfolk;
• Improvement of productivity of aquaculture within
ecological limits;
• Optimal utilization of offshore and deep-sea resources;
and
• Upgrading of post-harvest technology.

Objectives of the Fishery Sector

• Appropriate Fishing Technology -
adaptable technology, both in fishing and
ancillary industries, that is ecologically
sound, locally source-based and labor
intensive.

Some Definitions
• Catch Ceilings - refer to the annual catch
limits allowed to prevent overfishing
and harmful depletion of breeding
stocks of aquatic organisms.

Some Definitions
• Electrofishing - the use of electricity
generated by batteries, electric
generator and other source of electric
power to kill, stupefy, disable or render
unconscious fishery species, whether or
not the same are subsequently
recovered.

Some Definitions
• Active fishing gear - is a fishing device characterized by
gear movements, and/or the pursuit of the target species
by towing, lifting, and pushing the gears, surrounding,
covering, dredging, pumping and seating the target
species to impoundments; such as, but not limited to,
trawl, purse seines, Danish seines, bagnet, paling, drift gill
net and tuna longline.

• Passive fishing gear - is characterized by the absence of

gear movements and/or the pursuit of the target species;
such as, but not limited to, hook and line, fish pots, traps
and gill nets across the path of the fish.

Some Definitions
UTILIZATION, MANAGEMENT,
DEVELOPMENT,
CONSERVATION OF FISHERIES
AND AQUATIC RESOURCES
• Use and exploitation of the fishery and
aquatic resources in Philippine waters shall
be reserved exclusively to Filipinos.
• Licenses and permits are necessary for the
conduct of fishery activities subject to the
limits of the MSY or TAC.
• Catch Ceiling Limitations or quota on
the total quantity of fish captured
• Establishment of Closed Season:
for conservation and ecological purposes
conservation and rehabilitation
measures for rare, threatened and
endangered species
MUNICIPAL FISHERIES
• Shall have jurisdiction over municipal
waters.
• May enact appropriate fishery ordinance
• LGU’s shall also enforce all fishery laws,
rules and regulations and ordinances

Municipal/City Governments
Municipal fisherfolk and their
cooperatives/organizations
given priority to exploit municipal and demarcated
fishery areas

Registry of Municipal Fisherfolk

• Determines fishing priorities
• Limits entry into the municipal waters
• Monitors fishing activities

Municipal Fisheries
License is required to operate:
• commercial fishing vessel with their
fishing gears
• pearl fishing vessel
• fishing vessel for scientific
• research or educational purposes
• fishery activity
• fish worker or pearl diver

Commercial Fishing
When license may not required
• Fishing vessel engaged in scientific,
research or educational purposes
pursuant to an international
agreement.

Commercial Fishing
Persons Qualified for Commercial
Fishing Vessel License:
• Citizens of the Philippines
• Partnerships associations, cooperatives or
corporations whose capital stock (of at least
60%) is owned by Filipino citizens.

Commercial Fishing
• Granted to qualified persons and fisherfolk
organizations/cooperatives
• Leased areas not more than 50 hectares for
individuals and 250 hectares for corporations or
fisherfolk organizations;
• Period of twenty-five (25) years and renewable for
another twenty-live (25) years
• Lessee shall undertake reforestation for river banks,
bays, streams and seashore fronting his fishpond

Fishpond Lease Agreement

 POST-HARVEST FACILITIES
FOR FISHING COMMUNITIES
• Municipal fish landing sites
• Fish ports
• Ice plants and cold storage
• Other fish processing establishments to
serve primarily the needs of municipal
fisherfolk
• Must be registered with and licensed by
LGU’s

Fishing Facilities
BUREAU OF FISHERIES
AND AQUATIC
RESOURCES (BFAR)
• Prepare and implement a comprehensive national fisheries
industry development plan;
• Issue licenses for the operation of commercial fishing vessels;
• Issue identification cards to fish workers engaged in
commercial fishing;
• Monitor and review joint fishing agreements between
Filipinos and foreigners
• Enforce all laws governing the conservation and management
of fishery resources (except in municipal waters)

Reconstitution of BFAR
• Cultivation of mangroves to strengthen
the habitat and the spawning grounds of
fish.
• Commercial fishing within these areas
are prohibited.

Fish Refuge & Sanctuaries

• Engage in any fishery activity without a license, lease or permit.
• Operate any fishing vessel in Philippine waters by foreign person,
corporation or entity to fish.
• Fishing through explosives, noxious or poisonous substance, and/or
electricity.
• Use of fine mesh net.
• Use of active gear in the municipal waters and bays and other fishery
management areas.
• Coral exploitation and exportation.
• Muro-ami, other methods and gear destructive to coral reefs and other
marine habitat.

PROHIBITIONS
• Illegal Use of Super lights
• Conversion of Mangroves
• Fishing in Fishery Reserves, Refuge and Sanctuaries
• Fishing or Taking of Rare, Threatened or Endangered
Species
• Importation or Exportation of Fish or Fishery Species
• Violation of Catch Ceilings
• Aquatic Pollution

PROHIBITIONS
 Professionalization of fisheries
graduates
• Fisheries board of examiners
• Upgrade the fisheries profession
• Upgrading of state fisheries
schools/colleges

General Provisions
 END OF
DISCUSSION
 GROUP 2

CHARLES DARYLL CONTRIDAS

EUNICE ANN NICOLAS
JC TORRES
JEZREEL ANAT
RAMON MALIKSI JR