Towards reviving the production of Philippine native aquatic species

Abstract

The overexploitation of native aquatic species mainly for household consumption, not to mention the habitat loss and introduction of invasive alien species in major inland water bodies of the Philippines, has resulted in the significant decline of their natural populations. Philippine Republic Act 9147 otherwise known as the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2001 and the Fisheries Administrative Order 233-1 in 2010 issued by the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) served as two legal frameworks for protecting and conserving aquatic wildlife including indigenous species of the Philippines. With the current declining state of the country’s native aquatic species, relevant studies such as breeding and development of seed production techniques are necessary to revive the production of native aquatic species. These studies would also support the Philippine Government’s Balik Sigla sa Ilog at Lawa (BASIL) program of restocking inland water bodies with native aquatic species.