Mechanization of Philippine Fisheries Sector

I started feeling hopeful reading an email that says a study on the mechanization of Philippine Fisheries Sector to come up with a policy will be presented. I assumed that it was aimed towards improving capacity of the sector in meeting its goal of sustainable fishing and farming, economically rewarding, and environment conscious. I was deeply disappointed, to say the least.

I was looking forward into situational assessment of the sector and making policy recommendations out of it. That hope and assumption was because, that body of the government who gave the budget of the study is a policy recommending body, it is not a Research and Development Institute. Alas, what I heard as results are nothing new, being a fisheries science practitioner and science-based policy/governance advocate. Even worst, the recommendations made just lead to another study and probably to another study, which is not bad, but we are not in the University.

I hope to look at studies on how mechanization could improved existing practices and investments. Whether we could use it or not as a means to achieved the goals of the sector.